BE,S 2: Training Table Blues
by cpneb
Summary: It’s chapters 9 and 10 in Story 2 of the Blue Eyes, Shining series.  Chapter 9 is Fire Saving Blues.  Chapter 10 is the epilogue: tying up some loose ends, and the lowering of the curtain on this story.  Enjoy!
1. 1: Bedroom Redeaux Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

We're back! You can read this without reading the background material, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this one even more, and this story will make more sense in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reviews have fueled me for continuing,

It's the first chapter in arc 2 of the Blue Eyes, Shining series. Wade is back home after a summer in Montana. He has a girlfriend and new friends and a new outlook at life, but he doesn't have agoraphobia….

I'd advise a fresh container of ice cream (strawberry or chocolate, of course!) and a big spoon (maybe even two spoons, so you have redundancy). Sit back, relax, and get ready for this fresh, new ride.

Enjoy! Please read and review.

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Chapter 1: Bedroom Redeaux Blues

(From the archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load.)

- - - - - - -

"Dad!" I shouted as he came out of the door to greet me.

I did something I'd never done since I was three years old: I ran to him and hugged him in public.

Unfortunately for me, Dad knew me far too well: He's already figured out more about Jocelyn than I wanted him to know that soon.

I should have known: he was my Dad, and he was smarter than me.

I was more frightened of what Mom would think….

- - - - - - -

"Rebecca Jane's a fox, son, and don't tell me you haven't been looking," Dad commented on the way into the house.

"DAD!" This must be a synthodrone….

"Relax, son, I'm married, not dead," he replied as Mom came to the door.

"WADE!" She called, and she pulled open the door, and I ran to her and hugged her.

Mom looked at Dad, and he answered her perplexed and questioning look with two words:

"A girl," was Dad's reply to her unspoken question.

"Not Kimberly Anne! Wade, you know she's **way** too old for you," Mom added as she pulled me back and kissed my forehead. She looked me over with a mother's eye.

"Obviously, **you** had a good trip," she smiled.

She Knew.

All mothers know.

It's in the genes, somehow…I haven't found it, yet, but I'm sure it's there….

"It's another 'Possible' woman, dear," Dad continued, "Slim's daughter, Jocelyn."

'Dad, you're killing me.'

"Oh, Jocelyn?" Mom smiled. "Son, I should have known: you've had a thing for redheads since long before Kim," and she grinned, and I heard laughter from behind us.

'Oh, NO! They were still here! They came back from the car! I wanted to crawl into a hole and die!'

"Please forgive my son's manners; we raised him better than that. I'm Wade's mom, Rachel," she waved from the door, and my worst nightmare was about to come true…

"Would you like to come in for some coffee?" Mom asked.

"Thank you, ma'am, we'd love to," Rebecca Jane replied. "Don't worry about Dr. Load; he's been a perfect gentleman all of the time I've seen him," and she grinned, "But, of course, I wasn't with him **all** of the time."

'Rebecca Jane, you're dead….'

"He's Wade, here: the house is filled with doctors," Mom responded, and Rebecca Jane looked shocked.

"I didn't know! I apologize, Doctors Load," Rebecca Jane sputtered, but Mom waved it away.

"'Titles mean nothing unless you do something with them:' that's what we've always tried to teach Wade," and then SHE RUBBED THE TOP OF MY HEAD!

My life was over….

- - - - - - -

"I wondered, after meeting Wade for the first time, how he got so smart," Rebecca Jane spoke as she sipped her coffee, then looked into the cup with a big smile on her face.

"Jamaican 'Blue Mountain'! And freshly-ground! I LOVE this coffee, but I can't afford it more than a cup once or twice a month on my budget," she gushed.

"We like it too, dear. I won't drink anything else," Mom replied, and Rebecca Jane looked at her with a new level of respect.

"Forgive me for asking, Dr. Mrs. Load-" and Rachel cut her off.

"Rachel, dear."

"Rachel…you're also a doctor? In what field?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm not into those horrible computers, except for tracking my paintings and sculptures and the money that they bring," and she laughed, and Arnold had an immediate epiphany:

"You're Rachel Nathan!" he almost jumped from his chair, and Mom nodded.

"I've got prints of your paintings in my room at home. I LOVE YOUR WORK!" Arnold, an art fan? Arnold, gushing? I expected neither….

"Thank you, dear," as Mom, known in the art world as Rachel Nathan (her maiden name) smiled and met **yet** **another** fan. "Wade, would you be a dear and bring me one of the prints from my studio? Your friend, at least, deserves an autograph for his compliments," and Arnold almost hyperventilated.

"Amp down, Arnold," Rebecca Jane laughed as I was leaving the room. "I've got her works in my room, as well: 'The Dream of…' is my favorite," she added. Luckily, Mom's studio door was close enough that I could heat the rest of the conversation, so I picked up copies of that one for both of them.

"As usual, my wife gets the big headlines," Dad laughed. "Trust me, I love it," and he was kissing Mom, just as I came back into the room carrying the prints.

"MOM! DAD! Get a room, please!"

"Wade, you're one to talk," Rebecca Jane responded dryly. "What was that medical procedure that you were performing on Jocelyn a few days ago? Oh, yes, the 'full lip checkup,' or was it the 'vertical CPR?'" and Arnold fell off his stool from laughing so hard, Mom and Dad grinned, and I wondered if I still had some of that Aurora orchid pollen left over….

This was **not** going well for me.

"And, Mr. Dr. Load – I'm sorry, Ryan? What's your area of specialization?" Rebecca Jane asked, and I sighed.

"Oh, I just teach," Dad replied.

'Right and Brittina just sings,' I thought.

"In what area?" she drilled down.

"Political Science, in general," and I saw a look of recognition beginning to brew on Rebecca Jane's face.

"International Relations, and International Law," she stated confidently, and Dad grinned.

"Guilty, as charged," he replied with a smile, and I sighed mentally. 'Here we go, again,' I thought.

"You're **that** Dr. Ryan!

"I've been studying from your texts work in my graduate program, and I thought you looked familiar: your students **kicked** our butts in Global Mock Security Council a few years back," she added.

"Where were you, Rebecca Jane?"

"In New Mexico: at Thundercloud, specifically," and Dad grinned real big.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, dear. That was the first time my students had defeated Thundercloud in competition in 6 years, and we got on a run, after that. You got an excellent education there; that's most likely why you're in Global Justice.

"Wait!" Dad had a thought: that's always scary. "That year, it must have been your sophomore year: you were the Senior Delegate from Chad!"

"You remembered **me**?" And I saw something I hadn't seen in Montana: Rebecca Jane's dimples came out, full force. Now I knew why Kim was jellin': those dimples were almost as lethal as the Puppy Dog Pout.

"You were amazing; your verbal assault on that poor delegate representing Oman in the session was brilliant and spot on. I told several of my students that they needed to keep an eye on you."

"I'm flattered," and she blushed a Jocelyn Red, and Arnold smiled.

'That boy is so hooked on her, she won't need a net to pull him in,' I thought.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all….

Boy was I wrong….

-----

"You were also the creator of the 'chaos theory of national and international relations'," Arnold announced with a smug look on his face as he topped Rebecca Jane, and I mentally sighed, once again.

Dad just smiled.

"Yeah, that was me," he acknowledged, sheepishly.

"That was ground-breaking work, Dr. Lo - Ryan! Why are you so quiet about it?"

"Like Rachel said: 'titles mean nothing unless you do something with them.' I just did something with mine, that time," Dad responded.

"Something! You had the both scientific communities on their collective ears with that theory," Rebecca Jane pointed out, and then she grinned, again. "Now, I really know where Wade gets all of it from," she smirked, and Dad and Mom just laughed.

Me? I just wanted my torture to be over.

It was not to be….

"Have you met Jocelyn, Rachel?" Rebecca Jane asked.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

"No, I haven't, but I've seen pictures of her when Wade was daydreaming in his room," Mom just smiled. "Now, I know what, or in this case, **who**, he was daydreaming about."

Are all parents like this, or is it just mine that drive me crazy?

"She's perfect for Wade, Rachel: and, she'll keep him on his toes, as well."

"Is she taller?"

MOM!

Rebecca Jane laughed. "No, ma'am; but she's just as smart as him, and she's way cuter than Kim."

Finally, you got one thing right, Rebecca - Wait: you just told my Mother that my fiancée is way cuter than Kim?

"I worry about my Wade," Mom whispered to herself, but then she put on her 'serious face' as she turned to face me.

"Wade, did you have any problems?" I knew what she was talking about: my agoraphobia.

"No, Mom: I think it's stuffed into its own closet and sealed shut, now; that's only fitting," I added with a grin.

"Son," Dad looked at me, and he had tears in his eyes. "I'm proud of you, very proud. It took courage to face your fears like this, and then to conquer your fears, as well, so completely took enormous inner strength."

Dad's praise felt good, but I had a good reason.

"He had a very good reason, Ryan," Rebecca dead-panned, and they all laughed.

I had to laugh at that one, as well: Jocelyn was, indeed, a **very** good reason for me to come out of my room and never look back, but I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would turn out like it did.

"Are you ready, Wade?" Mom asked.

"Ready for what, Mom?"

"To see what I've done to your room, dear," and Rebecca Jane and Arnold both perked up.

Oh, no…

"Can we come, too?" Arnold asked.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

"Of course; let's go," and Mom got up and led them towards the hall that led to my room.

My life is truly over….

-----

"No, son, I didn't use flowers or the Batman decorations like you used to have in your room," and Arnold snickered, and I wanted to stuff him into a black hole probe.

"Here you go," and Mom pointed to the door with a hand-print reader on it. I pressed my hand to the reader, and the door swung open to reveal…

I just gawked.

"Mom….It's…."

"Son?"

"It's PERFECT, MOM! THANK YOU!" and I grabbed her and hugged her, and everyone pushed us aside and went in, and Rebecca Jane and Arnold stopped just inside the door and whistled.

Mom had done 'a good thing.'

The far wall was half-covered with server racks, communications equipment, Team Possible's backup gear, and the holographic projectors had been re-mounted on the ceiling. The floor was a rich red-colored hardwood in the entrance and up to the servers and my desk, and the area by my bed was bamboo flooring: the perfect mix, and non-static-generating, as well. The walls were painted a deep blue, almost black, except for the wall with the servers: that wall was entirely corked. On the stand next to my desk was my fish tank, and swimming happily was-

"LUCKY!" and I ran over to him.

"Wade, with a fish?" Arnold looked surprised, and I glared at him: Arnold, not Lucky.

"A piranha from the Amazon," I replied as I watched Lucky swim. "A mission souvenir," I added.

"The 'disappearing Kimberly' mission, Wade?" and Betty's voice came from the doorway, and I turned to see her standing there, still in her jumpsuit. Rebecca Jane and Arnold both turned quickly, but Betty waved them down.

"I was on the way home, and I decided to stop by and see if Wade made it back from Donna all right," Betty smiled, and Mom and Dad both turned and stared at me with the obvious question.

"'No Big', Mom. It's over." And Mom and Dad both smiled. I mouthed 'later,' and they both nodded.

"Ryan, how are you treating your angel?" Betty asked, pointing in Mom's direction.

"Just as she deserves, Betty," and Dad stepped over and hugged Betty. "Like the saint that she is, for putting up with me."

"Yep: it's definitely his upbringing," Rebecca Jane stage-whispered to Arnold, and Betty and Arnold both laughed, and Dad just smiled as he went back and hugged Mom.

"Ryan, Rachel: After spending that much time with Wade, I just wish that every parent would raise their children like you've raised Wade: I'd be out of business forever, instead of having to expand it," Betty commented, and Mom and Dad both smiled.

"He was a perfect gentleman," she added, "at least, when I could **see** him," and I wanted to find another hole, into which, this time, start tossing several people, beginning with Betty.

"I'm just kidding!" Betty added, and I could breathe, again. "Slim said that Wade was 'the best greenhorn varmint' he'd ever had on the ranch, and he was a 'perfect gentleman' to Jocelyn, and that's a direct quote from the brother of Mr. 'Black Hole Probe,' so that certainly means something," and Mom and Dad and Betty all laughed.

"A 'perfect gentleman?' Son, you obviously weren't listening to all of the lessons that I'd been teaching you," Dad chided, and I **so** wanted to hide for a year or two.

"DAD!"

Betty just laughed, again.

"I'll get my folks out of your hair, and we'll do lunch next week, Rachel; you too, Ryan, if you can break free of the 'gravitational pull' of your students," and Betty motioned towards the door.

"Ryan, Rachel, it's been a pleasure," Arnold said, and Rebecca Jane nodded her agreement.

"Wade: A pleasure, the entire time," Arnold came over and shook my hand.

"Mine, as well, Arnold. Thanks for the jump lessons," and Mom and Dad both gawked at me, and Betty nodded.

"Wade," Rebecca Jane came over and hugged me. She leaned over so she could whisper: "If you were older, or if I were younger, I'd have to give Jocelyn a run for her money. She's a very lucky young woman, and you're a very special man," and then she kissed my cheek, and then she stood tall and saluted me.

I returned her salute, and grinned. "Thanks for all of your help, Rebecca Jane, and I know I'm the lucky one: I have Joss on my side," I replied.

"And, thanks for never calling me 'Becky,'" she grinned as she and Arnold left my room. Dad chortled: he caught the joke.

"Wade," Betty stated simply, and then she grabbed me and hugged me tightly. Months ago, I would have passed out; now, I just smiled and enjoyed what I knew I had in my life, now, and it wasn't battlesuit pictures: it was soo much better: she had blue eyes and red hair, and those boots….

Betty released me, and there were tears in her eyes. "That was from Slim and me, a 'thank you' for all that you did while you were at the ranch: for Slim, for me, and for Jocelyn.

"See you around, Wade," she called, then remembered, "we have a meeting next week on the events that we discussed the last night at the ranch," and she stepped over to Mom and Dad and hugged each of them.

"Thank you," she said through the last of her tears. "Your son was, and is, a miracle worker," she whispered, and then Betty strode out of the room.

We stood there for a few minutes, and then heard Betty peal out after the GJ car pulled away.

"Son, you've got some explaining to do," Mom smiled, and I smiled back.

"'No Big,' Mom," and I ran out of the room before she could reach me and slap me across the head.

-----

"Wade?"

"Yes, Dad?" I was back in my room after successfully avoiding Mom: in reality, Mom had gone to her studio: she had had a new idea for a painting that she said that she 'just had to start.' Besides, were you ever able to avoid your mother when you were in trouble?

"Obviously, some things happened to you while you were in Montana, son. You want to take it from the top?"

I took a deep breath, and used the time to finalize what I was going to say; I'd only been working on it for 3 weeks….

"Start with Donna," Dad suggested, and I nodded.

"I stopped off and saw Donna right before I came home to tell her that I was past it."

"Did Jocelyn do that?"

"Yes sir, she did."

"That must be one incredible young lady, son, if she broke thru all of those barriers that you'd put up, that quickly."

"We had lots of practice breaking barriers, Dad," and I grinned, and Dad just glared.

"NOT that kind, Dad," and he took a deep breath. "Geez, Dad, you're worse than me!

"You knew that that Joss's mom was dead?" and Dad shook his head in the negative.

"She was killed when Joss was three years old, Dad."

Dad went silent for a moment, looked down, and then looked back up, again.

"You helped her get over that, son?" and I nodded, and Dad smiled.

"I'm proud of you, son," and Dad hugged me.

I hugged him back.

I hadn't felt like this, this good, since my hooding for my first PhD.

It was a wonderful feeling.

Dad let me go, and he was smiling.

"I was joking about the proposal when you first got back, son, and I was shocked when you confirmed by omission. Now, I understand why. You two have been through more than most married couples go thru in 25 years of marriage.

"You told her about Stephanie?" He asked, and I nodded.

"She actually pulled it out of me, but none of the details, yet. She told me that I could tell her, but only when I was ready, and not before."

"Wise beyond her years, she is. And, of course, a redhead, correct?"

"With ice-blue eyes," I lost it for a moment, thinking about her eyes, and Dad laughed.

"What does Slim think?" 'Just like his background: direct to the critical point in the case.'

"He said that he'd gladly put her hand in mine when the time came."

"Wow: and I never would have thought that, knowing that Slim's father was 'not exactly liberal,'" Dad's comment brought Slim's description to mind.

"Joss told me that her dad described his dad as being 'slightly to the right of Attila the Hun,'" and Dad laughed.

"That's not too far off a description, son. James and I had a talk when you and Kim started working together: we didn't think that there would be any problems with you two, but some of his relatives were, shall we say, 'not pleased in the least.' James told them where they could stuff it, and he hasn't talked to some of them, since."

"He did that for Kim and me?" That was a surprise: I didn't know anything about that, and I bet that Kim didn't, either. I now had a new, deeper, respect for Kim's dad.

"He did, indeed. He even offered some space probes to some of them for one-way trips," and we both laughed at that. Better them than me.

"When are you going to tell her about Stephanie and what happened to her?" Dad's voice had dropped from his normal jovial tone.

"She'll probably come into town after school has been going for awhile. She's decided to turn her attitude about school around, and she's now taking AP courses. Her IQ's higher than Jim and Tim, but she's never been challenged, nor has she had a reason to challenge herself.

"Donna wants to meet her, and she offered to make dinner in exchange for the story.

"Dad?" and he nodded. He knew where I was going, next.

"Donna called here right after you took off, and your mother went over after she got the news. We all agreed not to tell you, son: we all wanted you to get out of the house," and Dad was one of the few fathers who could say that in a positive manner.

"Dad," and now it was my turn to get misty, "Joss told me that I was her hero," and I lost it, then.

Dad's a guy, ok? He let me let it out, and he just touched my shoulder a couple of times.

"I sat there and listened to her tell about her mother dying in front of her when she was three years old," I sobbed harder now that Joss couldn't see me, "and her tell how she lay on rags next to her dead mother's body for days, and how Betty and her Dad found her, and how she saw her Dad stroke his dead wife's hair, and I just held her, and she called **me** the hero!"

Dad was quiet for a few minutes, letting me get it all out, and then he held up his hand to get my attention.

"Son, you went up there voluntarily, correct?" Dad asked, and I nodded, and I wiped my nose with my sleeve.

"And, you stayed when you could have left, before all of this happened, correct?

"And, you were fighting your agoraphobia while all of this was going on, correct?

"And, you most likely went thru this with her more than once, correct?

"Son, the hero is the person who stays thru all of this when the alternate, the easy way, to run away, is not taken. You didn't see that, then, did you?" and I just sat there listening to Dad's wisdom, and realized how much of an idiot I had been.

"Son, don't beat yourself up over not understanding this; even a super genius like you would have missed it. You were too close to the forest to see the beautiful orchid intertwined within the grove of poison ivy, all right at arm's reach."

"Dad, how did you learn all of this?" I was honest in my question: Dad could be profound, sometimes.

"I told you, son: I married your mother," and Mom chose that moment to walk in.

"And he's never forgotten just how lucky he is, either," and Mom put her arms around Dad's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"And, I learned on this trip just how lucky I've been, to have the two of you," I replied, and I hugged them both.

"I love you guys," I said into both of them, and then grinned when I let go.

"And, Mom? Thanks for not pulling out the baby pictures," and Mom laughed.

"So, when am I going to meet the young woman who now has my son's heart?"

"Mom! Don't kid me," and she grabbed my face between her hands.

"Do I **look** like I'm kidding, son?" and she gave me 'the look,' and I gulped.

"I know how you feel, son, or at least I think I have a pretty good idea.

"I just want you to be happy, Wade," she added, much softer, and she let my face go, and then she asked what Dad had asked already.

"How much does she know about Stephanie?"

"Nothing much more than that she died."

"You didn't tell her how she died?"

"No, Mom, I didn't," and I made the mistake of sounding a bit perturbed.

"Don't **take** that tone with me, young man!"

"Sorry, Mom." I was three, again, and I had a flashback: Iwas in the peanut butter, drawing a spiral galaxy on the kitchen wall.

"Did you at least tell her that she was a redhead?"

"No," and I thought I saw where Mom was going with this.

"Son, if you don't tell her, fairly soon, she might feel like you're treating her as a substitute.

"At the very least, tell her the redhead part before she comes down; that's what I would want to know, if I were her, considering that she was competing against Kimberly."

"She wasn't competing against Kim!"

"And, can you look me in the eye and tell me that, at no time did she ever tell you that she wasn't Kim?" Mom backed up and sat on the corner of my bed; Dad had already taken my desk chair, and he was enjoying watching me did myself a hole on my first day back.

"You're right, Mom," I conceded after replaying the argument that started us down our new path.

"I'll call her tonight and tell her; it's the least I can do, and if she wants to call it quits…." and I couldn't even think the unimaginable.

"Wade, she won't be upset, and she won't leave you. Trust your mother on this," and she stood and hugged me.

"That's what she said: 'she wouldn't leave me,'" and I got some water in my eye.

"I'll be there, too, if you need me," and she grinned.

"MOM!"

"Welcome home, son," she added, much softer, and then she looked me up and down in the mother-measuring mode.

"I guess we're going to have to go clothes shopping, but this time it'll be for taller and thinner clothes," she commented.

"I bought some while I was there, and Slim gave us some ranch shirts and pants, too."

"I'm losing my little man," and Mom teared up.

"MOM!"

"I'm serious, Wade. You left here not sure how long you'd last, and you come back with less of you and another woman in your life to care about, and now you're even buying your own clothes, and I haven't even met her!" and Mom started crying.

I couldn't handle it.

Mom's tears were worse than Kim's PDP ever dreamed of becoming.

"Mom, I love you," and I hugged her. "And, there's room in my heart for all of you, and you'll never be pushed out," and she made me start crying.

"How did you get so smart?" Mom said thru her tears.

"I had good role models, Mom: you and Dad," and I grinned.

I was home again, but it was a different feeling, this time, and not just because of the room redeaux: I was more comfortable with myself, this time, in all ways.

I loved my room. Mom didn't disappoint me; but, then, when had Mom ever disappointed me?

My only wish was that I could have shared this moment with Joss, as well

That thought reminded me how lucky I was.

I need to get her down here real soon. She and Mom will get along great.

No need for the mother-in-law jokes.

-----

chapter now complete….

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A/N: Wade's parents are part of the reason that Wade is Wade, but there's much more that makes him who he is, now.

The next chapter is Jocelyn starting her new life 'with Wade,' at least in spirit, and the first commitment….

Question: What do you get when you have one unbroken, redheaded classroom troublemaker/slacker start her freshman year at high school by joining all AP classes, trying out for both the cheerleading and rodeo teams, and, to top it all off, start the year with a **boyfriend**?

Answer: you get Jocelyn Possible's story about starting school in a new frame of mind in chapter two of Training Table Blues: School-Year Transformation Blues.

Thanks for reading, and please review.


	2. 2: SchoolYear Transformation Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE,S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

A/N Introduction:

Jocelyn is starting her new life 'with Wade,' her hero, by her side (at least, in spirit), and the first commitment she made: turn her school life around. But, can you do it when you've been the redheaded classroom troublemaker and slacker, you're starting your freshman year at high school, and your old friends want to know just what the heck is going on with you?

Answer: Anything's Possible for Jocelyn Possible in chapter two of Training Table Blues: School-Year Transformation Blues.

Thanks for reading, and please review.

-----

Chapter 2: School-Year Transformation Blues.

(From the archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load and Dr. Wade Load.)

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

I'd put off the call as long as I could; I knew that Joss would be up because she had freshman preparatory sessions at the high school, so I had dinner, fed Lucky, and unpacked all of my stuff (love and hate those new bags: good news is that you can shrink-wrap your clothes and pack three times as much in one suitcase; bad news is that you've got three times the amount to unpack).

I powered up the laptop and downloaded everything back to my home server, then called up the PosComm private links, and clicked on JP.

Her face popped up almost immediately: she was in her room at her computer.

"Wade!"

"Sweet Tea!"

"WADE!"

"Sorry, Joss," I grinned, "I couldn't resist.

"How are you, my love?

"Counting down the hours until I kiss you again," and she smiled and giggled.

I love those giggles.

Might as well find out if I'm going to be alone, again….

"Jocelyn, Mom told me I should tell you about Stephanie."

"What about Stephanie?" she sounded worried.

"I never told you, Joss…she was a redhead," I blurted.

"I figured that out, my love," she replied matter-of-factly. "What else?"

Off my shoulders, the weight fell….

"You knew?" I was surprised; well, actually, shocked.

"Of course, silly. Stephanie, Kim, then me…D'oi, there's a pattern there!' she channeled Shego **far** too well; if that didn't worry me, I'd be as dense as Du-Duh.

"That, and with all the girls and women up here, you only paid any real attention to the redheads; I assumed that you didn't have a strawberry fetish, so it had to be the hair," she added and grinned a self-satisfactory grin.

"Ah, but I do have a strawberry fetish, but it's only for my favorite 'berry," I replied.

"Oooo, I wish you were here so I could hug you!"

"Both Donna and Mom want to know when you're coming down; they both want to meet you," bombshells number two and three.

"Donna?"

"Donna is my shrink, Joss.'"

"Oh. OH!"

"I went to her this afternoon after I left there," I elaborated.

"So, I drove you to your doctor," she grinned.

"Jocelyn, you drive me to distraction all of the time, but not this one: I had to tell her that my demon was caged, for the first time in forever, and you caused it."

"Wade," and she started to tear up.

"This is a good thing, Joss. And, I never, really, told you 'thank you' for doing that."

"Oh, I think you did, love, at our bench," she grinned wickedly, and I grinned back as I remembered that last time at the bench…'Our bench,' she had said, and I smiled on the inside.

"She wants to make dinner for you, Joss, as a 'thank you' from her.

"Joss," I turned serious, "I knew she had cancer, but she told me she's now in N-stage, so you need to come before Thanksgiving," and I almost lost it.

"Wade! I'm so sorry. I wish I were there; I would hold you and help you get thru this, love," and she smiled the most supportive smile.

"I'm looking forward to meeting both of them, Wade. Besides, I want autographs from both Rachel Nathan and Dr. Ryan," and she surprised me again. Anything's Possible….

"OK, love, give. How?"

"I'm not stupid, Wade: I did my research, just like you did before you came up here. Besides, I've been a fan of Rachel Nathan since I was seven, and Mama loved her works…." And she got quieter.

"You ok, Joss?"

She was quiet for a moment, then responded.

"I'm fine, love. I guess I haven't locked down my demon completely, yet, but it's locked up real tight.

"And I've read all of your Dad's books, and I really love his book on Chaos Theory and International Relations; I especially loved his dedication in that one, by the way."

"You are amazing, Joss. That's why I love you," I grinned, and she pouted. "Well, among other reasons," and her pout flipped and became a huge smile.

"Oh, really? And what other reasons?" she asked, with a targeted smile.

"Well, let's start the countdown: you're brilliant; you're beautiful; you look **wonderful** in your swimsuit, you're sexy, you're caring…" and I went on with my Joss worship session, and she just sat back and ate it up….

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Joss?"

"Not really, love. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to tell my old running buddies that I used to get into trouble with that I'm out of that business, permanently."

"Good for you.

"Besides, the faster you graduate from high school, you can get started with college, and the faster you finish undergraduate…:" I reminded her, and she smiled a glorious and dreamy smile, then she frowned.

"Now, I'll never get to sleep! I'll be up all night, thinking about you!"

"Maybe I should have come back sooner," I said, and she sat up quickly.

"NO! I needed my 'Wadeshine' for as long as I could have it," she whined. "I'll go to bed soon as we finish," she finished.

"Can I watch you change?" I grinned evilly, and she called my bluff.

"Sure thing, love," and she reached down and started to pull off her top.

"NOOOOO! Joss, I was kidding!"

And she pulled the top off to reveal a t-shirt.

"Gotcha, Wade," she smirked, and smiled. "Sorry about that, love, but I couldn't resist. You're **so** much fun to torture."

"I'd better let you get to sleep, Joss. I love you."

"And, I love you too, Wade. Sweet Dreams, love."

"Only, because they'll be of you, 'Sweet Tea.' Good night." and I cut the circuit as I heard her yell "WA-!"

Lucky, I love that girl.

Lucky just swam up to the side of the tank and stared at me, then turned and swam away.

Still wondering: How did I end up with her in my corner?

I checked the notifications and emails: nothing for Kim and Ron yet, so I set the 'notify' to verbal and decided to go to bed.

Sweet Dreams, my Jocelyn…and I fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

"WADE" I yelled as he cut the signal, and I grinned at the blank screen.

"Good night, my love. Sweet Dreams. I love you," I whispered to the now-blank screen.

How was I going to explain him to my friends, especially my trouble quartet?

I was out of the trouble business for good.

High school was going to go by quickly: I was looking at 3 years from start, by placing out of some classes and some advanced work with either Western Montana State or Middleton Institute, and then I'd be in Middleton full-time. We could get an apartment, Wade and I…

**JOCELYN, STOP! YOU CAN'T MAKE THOSE DECISIONS BY YOURSELF!**

**YES, I KNOW, BUT I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I?**

I hate it when my ego and id got into arguments and leave me out of the conversation….

I'd better crash now, so I can take a bath when I get up and be ready for Daddy to take me to high school.

High School!

Toto, you're not gonna be in Kansas, anymore, and I pulled out my greatest prize:

Wade had left his laundry in the machine one day last week, and I had "borrowed" one of his GJ t-shirts. It was now my sleeping wear, my favorite sleeping wear.

I slipped into it, and imagined he was here.

It felt so good.

I had an epiphany: I know what to tell them, and it'll drive them crazy:

Truth has a way of doing that to people.

Before I lay down, I knelt at my bedside and said my "God-Blesses":

Daddy

Momma

Kim

Ron

Rufus

Rebecca Jane

Arnold

Uncle Jim

Aunt Anne

Cousin Jim

Cousin Tim

Betty

Please, keep Cousin Kim and Ron and Rufus safe from harm.

And, God, thank you for bringing Wade into my life: I know you sent him, because I asked you for a guardian angel, someone who I could love forever and who would love me, unconditionally, and then he came, and he was everything that I asked you for, and more.…

I climbed into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately, and dreamt of my hero.

-----

"Joss! Are you awake?" Daddy was roaming the halls.

"In the kitchen, Daddy," I called back, and drank the last of my orange juice.

"There you are – Joss?" Daddy was staring at me; well, at my clothes, anyway.

"What's wrong, Daddy? Did I spill?" and I looked down at my front: no spillage….

"No…." he grinned. "Darlin', you look wonderful!"

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Where's the 'bad girl' clothes, the ripped jeans, the 'Doc Davis' boots?"

"DADDY! I told you I was changing, and all that had to go. I'll give it to Jen, if she wants it; otherwise, it's all heading to the nearest 'black hole,'" and I grinned.

"Sweet Tea, you don't know how happy that makes me," Daddy smiled.

I liked seeing Daddy smile. He's not done that this often since Momma died….but he's been smiling a lot, since Wade came up, and I had an evil thought….

"Daddy, are you crushing on my BF?" and it was timed perfectly.

Daddy shot coffee across the kitchen counter.

"Jocelyn!"

"Gotcha, Daddy," I answered, and handed him a towel and cleaned up the mess. "I just like seeing you smile so much, lately," I added.

"Because you're happy, Jocelyn, because you're smiling; that's why I'm smiling," he replied and took another gulp of coffee.

I ran over and hugged him.

"Have I told you lately that 'I love you,' Daddy?"

"Last night, before you went to your room, but I never tire of hearing it from you. I love you, too, Joss.

"Did Wade call last night?"

"Yes, he did," and I grinned, dreamily.

"Good. I knew he had a good head on his shoulders."

"He certainly does, Daddy," and I picked up my backpack.

"New?" Daddy asked.

"Gift from Rebecca Jane, when we went shopping the other day," I answered as we walked to the garage, and Daddy popped the locks on the Gourd 160.

"Oh, by the way, Jocelyn: did Wade like the swimsuit you bought?" and Daddy grinned as he backed the truck out to head to school.

"DADDY!"

I just smiled, and I spent most of the 10-minute ride thinking about rubbing more tanning lotion on my tanned wonder.

-----

Daddy came in with me, since he had to sign the papers for me to take AP courses as a freshman. And, of course, Mr. Brickle had to talk to him, but he was going to talk to **us**.

I knocked on the door: no answer.

"I'm sorry; I'm running late." and Mr. Brickle rolled up in his wheelchair and opened the door to his office. "Come on in, both of you," and he went behind his desk, powered up his terminal, and reached down to pull a file from his desk drawer.

He looked at the file for a few moments, then looked up at me.

"So, you finally decided to step up, Miss Possible?"

"Yes sir, Dr, Brickle," I replied, and he grinned.

"Good! I hoped you would, sooner than later, but I'm glad I get to see it, nonetheless.

"I understand you've had a very interesting summer, Miss Possible," he smiled as he read the file.

"Sir?" Confused….

"You met Steve Barkin, didn't you?" and he put the file folder down.

"Yes, sir," Now, I was real confused.

"I served with Steve on his first tour of duty; that's when I got these," and he pointed at his artificial legs. "Steve called me last week and asked about you and your grades, and then he told me his opinion of you and your 'young man,'" and he smiled a Chesire-Cat smile.

'Do all teachers and principals in the world known each other?'

"He said, and I quote, "'Brick: she's coming in to start the year, and I'd expect to see her and turn everything around. You'll have your hands full with her; but, if she's anything like her cousin, you'll love what she will do as a leader in your student body.'

"He also said that 'If you don't come thru, I should call a Dr. Wade Load and inform him.' Is he your analyst?"

"No, he's my boyfriend," I responded, and Mr. Brickle looked very worried.

"Wade's her 'young man,' Mr. Brickle," Daddy explained, "and he also happens to have a PhD from Middleton Institute, and he's working on his second," and Daddy processed the rest of his earlier comment.

"Steve said that she'd be a leader?" Daddy was shocked.

"He did, indeed, Mr. Possible. Oh, and he had a message for you, too. Something about a bar in Shanghai, somebody named 'Sealie,' and a room called 'The Dragon Walks –' and Daddy cut him off.

"I know the place, Mr. Brickle, and I know Steve," Daddy grinned.

'What was Daddy doing in Shanghai?'

"Good!" and he closed the folder.

"Miss Possible; please understand: the computer registration system could sign you up to take alternate placement tests so you can enroll in the AP classes, but you can't attend them with your grades – hold on, let me finish," as he saw Daddy and me both about to explode," "You can't take them until you test into them."

"You got the tests, Mr. Brickle?"

"Amazingly enough, Ms. Service has all of them, and she's waiting for you in room 103 to begin them in," and he looked up at the clock, "15 minutes. Prove me right, Miss Possible."

"'Check my name,' Mr. Brickle," I channeled Kim, and Daddy smiled, and Mr. Brickle laughed.

"You are indeed her cousin, Miss Possible.

"Do you think that you could convince her to come up here with Ron and Rufus for a visit? I'm sure the student body would enjoy hearing their stories," Mr. Brickle added, and Daddy nodded.

"Consider it done, Mr. Brickle, and you should include Dr. Load, as well; he's the "Q" behind 'Team Possible'" and Daddy stood and shook his hand.

"Done, and done."

"And, thank you, Mr. Brickle, for having faith in my daughter,"

"Thank Steve the next time you see him, and remind him he still owes me that bottle of Glenfiddich," Mr. Brickle smiled and looked at me.

"Do me proud, Miss Possible," and he waved me out of the room.

-----

I spent all day taking tests in World History, American History, American Government, English Literature, English Language, Algebras I and II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. I was glad that these weren't on paper anymore: I breezed on the computer terminal, and Ms. Service gawked at me when she saw me typing my essay.

She left partway thru the morning after printing out the results of the tests that I completed before lunch, and she had a disturbed look on her face.

I left the room once, but otherwise my butt was in that chair all day until 3:25 PM when the end-of-day buzzer announced.

Ms. Service came into the room, looking at me strangely.

"You have 30 more minutes to complete your work," she announced, and I stood up and stretched.

"No need; I've been done for an hour, and I've already checked my work, so I just need to release the final tests for grading, and I'm outta here," I sat back down and released the final tests. "There; you have them for review," and I walked over to the door, and then stopped.

"May I have my backpack, please?" and she handed it to me, having had to hold it so I couldn't use any materials in it to cheat on the tests.

'Like I needed it,' I thought, and grinned.

"What's so funny?" Ms. Service asked.

"Nothing, ma'am. Just thinking about something that happened yesterday," I answered.

"May I go, now?"

"Of course, Jocelyn: you can leave." I headed for the door.

"Jocelyn?"

I stopped and turned back to her. "Yes, ma'am?"

She smiled. "I'm so happy for whatever happened to you this summer. You've changed, and for the better, I might add," and she grinned.

"Thank you, ma'am."

I walked out the door, but I decided to tease her a bit.

"I found my hero this summer," I said as I turned my head and looked back at her and smiled.

If that was the worst that I'd done all day….

-----

"J!" a familiar voice, I heard, after I'd left the building and was standing in the parking lot, waiting for Daddy.

"Where the hell have you been all day?" cane from the second

"We never got to nail Pickle even once today." Announced the third.

"What the hell are you wearing? Did you go all 'stream on us this summer, girl?" The fourth was chapped.

I turned and faced them.

There they were, all dressed in black-on-black:

Becky Barlow, my best friend; well, until this past summer, at least; Wade has that role, now….

Jennifer Battle

Fletcher Benge

Carl Butler

It's truth time, Jocelyn.

"I'm past 'stream, y'all. I'm 'bleeding edge,' now," I replied, and Jennifer snorted.

"Like you even know what **that** means," she spat back at me.

"Like, I know more than you ever dreamed of, Jen, or ever had in your worst nightmares," and I smiled.

"I know how my Momma died, and why I had those dreams all these years, and, trust me, it was nothing you'd ever want to see or hear," and Jen looked shocked and shut up real fast, and Fletch grabbed my arm holding my backpack and twisted it.

"What did that "Daddy" of yours do to her, bi-?" and I surprised him when I slapped his face with my other hand.

"You have no idea what **pain** is, Fletch, but you'll learn real fast if I ever hear that from you, ever again," and I gave him a calm look; the one that Ron had taught me this summer, and Fletch laughed.

"And what are you gonna do, J? Cry for your momma?" and he reached for me, again.

Bad move, Fletch.

"No," and I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back in one smooth motion, then flipped him and put him to the ground, face-first, then released him.

All of this happened in about 2.3 seconds. 'Thank you, too, Ron, for teaching me "Tapping Monkey."'

"This." and I looked down at him as I rolled him over with my foot, and he looked up at me, surprise and anger both occupying his face.

Carl looked at me, then looked at Fletch on the ground, then looked back at me.

"You've been hangin' with that goody-goody-two-shoes cousin of yours and her lapdog too long," he smiled and lunged at me.

"Wrong," and I hit him squarely in the face with my backpack.

"I've been "hangin'," as you put it so graciously, with the head of Global Justice and my boyfriend."

"BOYFRIEND?" Becky and Jen both squealed, higher than I thought they could make that sound.

Some things transcended attitude: bad girls and good girls, both, wanted boyfriend 'news', and they each took one of my arms and pulled me towards Daddy's truck, making me promise to call them tonight and 'tell all!'

"Better: come over this weekend, and you can see what I was doing 'on my summer vacation,'" I grinned as I got into the truck.

I looked back at Fletch and Carl: Carl was pulling him up off of the ground, and Fletch still did **not** look happy.

-----

I took care of Fletch later in the week, and I had no problems with him after that. Carl avoided me like I was a 'streamer: no loss. Well, just a bit of a twinge: I had always liked Carl and thought that he could make me happy, but I'd seen another side of him now, and **that** wasn't going to happen, now, not ever

I didn't need him, now, anyway: I had my hero.

-----

Becky and Jen came over on Saturday, and they were shocked with the changes at the ranch.

Neither of them saw Tornado or the other 'horses:' as Betty would put it, they were not on the 'need to know' list.

They came up to my room, and I lost a friend.

"Who's the 'black boy' on your wall? Target practice?" Becky snarled her feelings, and Jen just stared at her.

"That 'black boy' as you put it, Becky, is my boyfriend, Dr. Wade Load, of Team Possible," but she had tuned everything else out after boyfriend.

"You're dating one of them? A N-" and I cut her off with a scream.

"BECKY!" and she shut up and glared at me.

I held up my open right hand and started ticking counting down reasons on my fingers.

"First, he is not a 'black boy,' he's African-American, and he just turned 14.

"Second, yes, he's my boyfriend, and I love him," and she spat at me. I ignored her.

"Third, he's smarter that you ever dreamed of being: he has a PhD from Middleton Institute of Technology, and he's working on his second one.

"Fourth, if I **ever** hear that word from you again, your **ass** is **mine**! You'll think that what I did to Fletch was a love tap compared to what I'll do to you.

"And, finally," and I ended with a closed fist, "I think you should leave. I **thought** you were my **friend,** **Becky, **and I thought I knew what you believed, but I'd hoped that you'd at least give me the benefit of the doubt and listen. I guess **I** was **wrong**." and I shoved her towards the stairs that led down out of my loft. I heard her stomp down the stairs, and the front door opened and slammed shut with a vengeance.

"And you, Jennifer?" I glared.

"J," Jen spoke softly, and I backed down my 'attitude' several notches, "my family is originally from Mississippi. My brother James' wife is African-American; my other brother Charles' wife is from Japan; heck, Joss, my sister's husband is Texan," and we both laughed. "Almost everyone down south has at least one relative of a different color or another; regardless of how 'pure' they think they are, there's a 'Balrog in the woodpile,' somewhere in their past," she grinned, and I laughed.

"Someone spent some time this summer reading that book I gave her," and she nodded, and grinned.

"How did you meet him, J?" she asked, taking a tailor position on my floor, and I gave her the version of the story that I'd worked on that left out the things that hadn't been cleared by the Security team.

She held up pretty well, thru most of it, anyway, shedding some tears along the way, but when I got to the part about finding Momma dead in the chair, she broke the rest of the way, and started crying and shaking uncontrollably. I went to the floor and held her, letting her cry on my shoulder, and she cried for a long time.

"J, that was soo wrongsick," she said thru her tears, and I laughed. She looked up at me thru her tears.

"Ron says that, and he has Kim using it, now, too," I explained, and she almost glowed with excitement.

"**Ron Stoppable**?" she gushed, and I grinned.

"The one and only," I answered.

"He's sooo cute, J. Can you hook me up?" She wiped her face with her shirt sleeve.

"Love to, Jen, but can't: KP would kill us both," I replied, and she looked at me, confused.

"Cousin Kim: Kim Possible, his girlfriend," I clarified, and she frowned.

"They're dating? That's **so** not fair," she pouted.

"Story of my life, Jen."

"You were in the room the whole time, and your momma was dead, and no one came?" I nodded.

"Betty and Daddy came, but it was days later," and she started crying, again.

"Wade?" she asked, when she was able to stop crying.

"Daddy had asked Wade if he would stay for me, and he agreed, even though he already knew that the story was not going to be good. He stayed with me, Jen, when he could have easily left, and he had no reason to stay, and he **held** me, Jen, and that's when I knew," and I smiled, and she channeled Bonnie Tyler:

"'You found your hero,'" she started the thought, and I nodded.

"'For the rest of my life,'" and I completed the line, and she smiled.

"I want one of those," she whispered longingly, and I nodded.

"He stayed with me through all of it, and he told me I was **his** hero, Jen," and I had a tear escape from my eye. He still had that effect on me with that sentence, even weeks and years later.

"I **really** want one like that," Jen announced, pointing at the picture that I'd hung on my wall of the two of us hugging each other, and I held up my hand.

"No touchee my BF!" and we both laughed, then we went silent.

"Jen?" I looked down at her, and pulled both of us to our feet.

"Yeah, J?"

"Thanks for being here."

"Thank you for letting me in."

"'No Big,' Jen," and she laughed.

"You're definitely her cousin, J," she smirked, and we both laughed and hugged.

I had a new GF.

I'd been around Mon too long, but it made sense to me. It confused Daddy, and that was a good thing.

I certainly wasn't going to tell Wade about Becky

-----

"Hi, Wade."

"Jocelyn!" His smile was wonderful.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call this late, my forever love?" I loved it when he got all formal and sweet on me….

"Wade, is that Jocelyn I hear?" A woman's voice I didn't recognize: it could only be –

"MOM! Please," I didn't know he could whine at all, and I sure didn't know he could do it that well.

'No luck, Wade,' I grinned inside as his mom moved into the camera.

'WOW! She was real pretty! Her press photos didn't do her justice.'

"Jocelyn! Hello, there. I'm Wade's mom," and I finished up for her.

"It's a real pleasure to meet Rachel Nathan, my favorite artist," I smiled, and she grinned.

"You got me, dear. I just wanted to say hi.

"You're very pretty, Jocelyn; are you sure you're dating the right guy, dear?" and Wade slapped his head with both hands.

"I'm sure, Mrs. Load. I love this guy, and I never want to lose him," and she smiled, and Wade mouthed 'thank you.'

"Wade told me that you were pretty, but he never mentioned that you were so well-mannered.

"Jocelyn, Wade told me about your mother," Rachel looked sad. "I'm **so** very sorry for your loss. Come down here, anytime, and let me spread some 'mother love' around you," and she smiled.

'Just like Momma,' I thought.

"Thank you, Mrs. Load."

"Rachel, dear,"

"Rachel. Thank you, Rachel. I'd like to come down in a few weeks. I just got some good news on my alternate placement tests, and I couldn't wait to tell my BFBF," and I grinned, and Wade perked up.

"How good?"

"I passed the finals for all of the Social Studies tests; I have to take the Government class, though: it's a state law."

"Joss, that's great!" Wade's smile was my manna from heaven.

"But, wait, there's more!" I added in my TV Trash-announcer voice.

"Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II: all aced!

"English Lit, and all three English classes: all aced! I still have to take the Sr. English class: again, state law.

"I have 12 credits towards the required 24 for graduation, and I know I'll pass two more since I've already passed them, so I've basically got my hard sciences, electives, and PT left to take to graduate.

"I knew you could do it, Joss, I love you." and my heart melted again.

"Wade," I paused, "I love it when you say that. I love you for so many reasons, not the least is that you have faith in me, even when I don't have faith in myself."

"You've got the skills, Joss. You've just got to 'check your name,'" and he laughed, and I joined him.

"And, guess what else, Wade? I made the JV cheer squad, and they elected me captain!"

"And, I made the rodeo team: Barrel-racing, on a real horse, not Tornado," I finished the report with a flourish, and Wade applauded.

"Get down here, quick," Wade announced, "there's 'Wadeshine' waitin' for you in the fridge," and Rachel giggled, and Wade reacted.

"MOM! I told you what Ron named his dessert!"

"I know, dear, but it's a little 'Oedipal' for me to call it that," she answered.

"Oedipus, Schmoedipus, I'll still love you, Rachel," I dead-panned, and Rachel burst into full-blown laughter, followed immediately by Wade.

"Where'd you get that one, Jocelyn?"

"Can't claim it for my own, it's from a comedian," I answered, and she chuckled.

"I'll leave on that one, you two. Nice to finally meet you, Jocelyn, and I'm looking forward to meeting you in person," and she stepped out of frame, and I heard the door close in a few seconds.

"Thank you, love: you got her to leave with that joke."

"'No Big,' Wade."

"Go to bed, Joss. You need your sleep, my love."

"Tomorrow is going to be interesting: I need to enroll in classes, now, and I need to see what's available, since everybody else has done it."

"Good night, hero," and he smiled as he cut the circuit.

I loved it when he called me that.

I need my shirt, tonight: Wade didn't ask me about my "friends," so I know he knows that something's wrong …

-----

I signed up for PT: I got an automatic slot in the cheerleading section, so I was happy about that.

I was able to get into Forensics Debate and Introduction to Journalism: I knew that, for what I wanted to do, I needed to be able to communicate more clearly and crisply, as well as be able to argue my case successfully. This wouldn't get me to pass the State Bar, but it was a start.

I completely forgot about the dreaded Health class: luckily it was only one semester, and I was able to 'convince' Mr. Brickle to let me sign up for Fitness and Conditioning.

And, while I was on a roll, I asked for a slot in the Honors Biology class: Got it.

Don't ask, don't get: my new mantra.

-----

Nice, normal cheerleader class schedule:

Forensics/Debate

Honors Biology

Health (gag!)

Introduction to Journalism

Fitness and Conditioning

PT: Cheerleading

-----

'Anything's Possible,' I thought as I left my last class and ran into Fletch.

Oh, goody.

"Hey, 'J.'"

"Fletch." I was still mad and a bit wary of him.

"Joss," and he used my name! This must be important.

"Joss," he said, softer, and he hung his head, "I'm sorry."

WHAT?

"I'm sorry, Joss," he repeated, and he raised his head, and his eyes were red.

"I didn't know about your Moms, Joss.

"Jen told me some of what happened; enough to make me feel like the ass that I was to you.

"Can we, like, start over on that?" and he looked like a puppy begging in the window to be taken home.

"Fletch," I smiled, and I extended my arms, and he stepped into them and gave me a brief hug, then he backed up.

"I'll forgive you, Fletch, but you hurt me bad."

"I know, J, and I should have kept my burgerhole shut.

"Word, Fletch," and he grinned.

"I don't want to lose all my friends, Fletch, but I have to do this."

"I don't know what you're doing, but I know you, J:

"You go big, or go home, so this must be big.

"I've got some serious thinking to do, J; but I had to talk to you before I did anything about this, and I did, and you helped," and he turned and walked away.

"Oh, J?" he had stopped and turned back to face me, and this time he had a bit of a grin on his face.

"Nice moves in taking me down," and his grin grew. "You're good," and he turned back and continued walking away.

-----

Carl cornered me two days later, after cheer practice.

"So, are you too good to talk, 'cheerleader?""

"Naw, Carl. Whazzup?"

"I gotta know, J."

"Know what, Carl?"

"Where'd you learn that move, J?"

"Ron taught it to me this past summer."

"The lapdog?"

I glared at him.

"OK, he's not a lapdog, 'specially with moves like that," he admitted, and walked off, then stopped and turned back around to face me.

I hadn't moved.

"You still dating that 'thing?'"

"I'm dating Wade, if that's who you're talking about, Carl."

"Waste…." And he turned and left.

What happened to my friends?

"Carl." I called, and he turned back to look at me.

"I thought you liked me, Carl."

"I did, 'J,' but no more."

"What happened to you?"

"I grew up, 'J,' and I found out what those 'people' are doing to us, to our lives.

"I can't hang with anyone who'll be seen with one of 'them,' let alone date one. Sorry, 'J,'" and he turned his back on me and walked away.

I couldn't tell Wade this.

I couldn't tell him that I was such a bad judge of people.

He'd leave me, I just knew it.

I couldn't live with this, but I couldn't live without Wade.

Life sucked, and I got in the truck with Daddy and went home and went upstairs and cried myself to sleep.

-----

I dodged the friends issue until my grades came out.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" I played innocent: no, I **was** innocent; I just liked harassing my hero.

"The grades, Jocelyn, the grades," Wade looked faux-frustrated.

"I'm not 'Mr. Roark,' 'Tatu,' but I'll tell you," I grinned, and he just stared for a moment, then he got it and laughed.

"All upper 90s, Wade," and I smiled. I was damn proud of myself.

"Good for you, Joss! What did Slim say?"

"Wade," and I almost lost it.

"Wade," I whispered, "he said that Momma would be 'even prouder' of me than she already was," and then I lost it.

I looked up when I heard the sounds, and Wade was crying, too.

"He's right, Joss: Sheri Nicole would be very proud of all you're done," Wade managed to get out thru his tears.

How can you not love him?

When we both dried up, he cornered me, finally…I'd been dreading this, but it was gonna happen….

"What finally happened to them, Joss?"

"You never told me what happened with your running buddies," Wade was a bit more serious and his voice was a lot softer. He knew that this was bothering me, and he'd finally decided to hit the spot that I'd not discuss with him.

"I hate your mad analysis skills," I pouted, and he grinned.

"You really love them, love: otherwise, you would have told me, already, like the cheer squad and rodeo team news and your grades. So, spill it, love."

"Two of the four are gone, one may be saved, and one wants to date Ron."

"Hopefully, the one that wants to date Ron isn't male," Wade smirked.

"WADE!" I yelled, and then I chuckled.

"No: it's Jennifer."

"Whatever happened with Becky, Joss? You told me she was your best friend last year."

"She's wack, Wade."

"Wack?"

"She's in the 19th century, in Dixie, Wade, and Carl is so like her."

"Oh…OH," and he got it. "Her current paradigm is complete with 'darkies a'singin' **_Elderly Man River_**?'" Wade asked, grinning, and I lowered my face and nodded my head. I couldn't face him after that.

"Jocelyn, look at me," he quietly commanded, and I raised my head and looked at him.

"I've been thru this more times than I can count, Joss. I wish I had been there, so I could help you get thru it, but I couldn't, and it happened.

"When did it happen, Joss?" He asked the dreaded question, and I answered, bracing for his explosion,

"The day I took my tests was when it started, and it's gone on since, in pieces."

"Jocelyn Possible!"

He raised his voice at me! He **yelled** at me! He's never raised his voice at me.

"I am here for you: now, always and forever. Why didn't you have enough faith in me to tell me?"

When he doubted my faith in him, he stabbed me in the heart.

I started bawling like a baby, I hated it, but I couldn't stop it.

"I'm sorry, Wade. I wasn't sure if you'd want to stay with me if I had had friends like that," I added, and he looked shocked. "I was scared that you wouldn't love me anymore, and that I'd lose you forever," and my tears took over, and I couldn't control it at all.

He put on his version of the 'serious face;' I laughed inside while I cried outside.

"I.

"Love.

"You,

"Jocelyn Possible.

"You have to believe me," and he had calmed down significantly, and he was now two notches above whispering, but his voice was laser-guided. "What your friends say or do is not important, unless they hurt you. If they ever hurt you, I'm calling Betty for a jet." He looked ready to hurt someone.

"Joss, I've been thru this before: Slim could have told you, if you'd talked to him. I could have helped," and then he looked real sad, and he said the last thing that I would have expected to come from Wade's mouth:

-----

"It's my fault, all of it," he barely whispered, and I wanted to slap him.

"WADE!"

"Well, it is, Jocelyn. I fell in love with you months ago, and I knew that something like this would probably happen, and I didn't do anything to prepare you for it," and he buried his head in his hands.

"Wade," and he looked up at me, and tears were streaming down his face. He looked so hurt that I was ready to ride Tornado to Middleton right then.

"Wade, you can't control everything: I know you like think you can, but you can't: it's that nasty 'free will' we're stuck with. My former friends have it, and I can't help it, but one of them is having second thoughts about what he believed, and Jen has accepted you.

"In fact, love of my life, she pointed at our picture and said that she wanted one of those," I added, and Wade looked confused.

"What picture?"

"The one that you **were** gonna get for Christmas, so now I've gotta come up with something else," I pouted, and he grinned.

"A picture of us," and he smiled real big, and my tears started up again.

I still cannot believe what I have.

Thank you, for sending me my dark knight in shining armor.

He'd take a bullet for me, I thought: I know he would. I never thought, back then, that it could or would ever happen.

"Thank you, Wade."

"I love you, Jocelyn Possible, and I always will. Remember that, when the storm clouds gather and surround you, and evil shadows try to surround you:

"I will **always** be there for you.

"I am your 'Ron Stoppable,' just with better grades and a much better all-over tan," and with that my shield was broken, and I started to laugh.

"That's better; much better," he added, softly, after I slowed my laughing down a few notches.

"Are you definitely coming down next week?"

"Sure thing, love."

"Good. Mom wants to spoil you, and Ron is preparing a batch of 'Wadeshine,' especially for you," and he grinned, "and Donna's ready to cook for you."

Donna. I hoped that she was holding her own, but there was something more important to ask him.

"Wade, are you ready to talk about Stephanie?"

"I am, now, especially if my hero is with me," he answered, and the beep-beep-beep-beep-beep of his email notification came.

"Just a minute, Joss," and he cut over to another screen and looked at it, then frowned.

"Gotta go, Joss:

"I just got a hit for Kim and Ron."

"Go, my Wade. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jocelyn Possible," and he cut the signal.

'I have my hero,' and I smiled inside at the thought of thanking him with another backrub….

No need for any mother-in-law jokes, not with Rachel Nation.

-----

chapter now complete….

-----

A/N: Jocelyn's friends have voted:

2 have voted no,

1 has voted yes, and

1 remains undecided. Undecided is leaning in Joss' favor, but he has some issues to deal with….

The reactions, and a small piece if the discussions that Jocelyn had with her friends, are, unfortunately, G-rated versions of the real world. Jocelyn has started to experience the world, and she's learning that the world is not always a nice place, and sometimes the price is a friend..

The bad news is that she's losing friends that she's had for a long time; the good news is that she has someone to talk to about her friends and their behavior and attitudes; my daughter was also blessed to have someone to talk to when many of her friends turned on her after they learned about me…but, that's not important….

Preview:

Question: What do you get when you have another 16-year-old redhead who also happens to be a PhD candidate, living with her foster family, and she meets a nine-year-old who is also a PhD candidate…and then the world crashes in on her?

Answer: you get Stephanie Watership's story about living, loving life, caring for the world, and dying with no perceived hope, and the nine-year-old and his tale of having to identify his young friend's body in the Middleton Morgue.

Stephanie Watership, and her life and death, had a massive impact on Wade's young life, and the impact would mold him: not just then, but for the rest of his life.

Read her story in chapter three of Training Table Blues: Stephanie's 'Dancing with her Demons' Blues.

Thanks for reading, and please review.


	3. 3: Dancing with her Demons Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Jocelyn and Wade are together on her school break: she's come into Middleton for several reasons, not the least of which is to get some serious snuggling with her hero.

Her plans to meet Wade's parents, get some more of Ron's 'Wadeshine," and meet Donna, are tempered by the event that she fears the most for Wade: the story of Stephanie Watership in chapter three of Training Table Blues: Stephanie's 'Dancing with her Demons' Blues.

Thanks in advance for reading, and please review.

-----

Chapter 3: Stephanie's 'Dancing with her Demons' Blues.

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

· archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load;

· archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load;

· archives and logs from Global Justice (de-classified files made available under the authority of Dr. Elizabeth Adrianne "Betty" Director, current Executive Director/Global Justice);

· archives of City Morgue for Middleton, Co;

· private papers of Dr. Donna Jackson, registered psychiatrist on staff at Middleton General and senior staff psychiatrist for Global Justice;

· diary of Stephanie Watership, deceased)

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

"Are you definitely coming down next week, Joss?"

I was in my room, and Wade was back home.

I needed my 'Wadeshine.'

Five days, 22 hours until I could get my next kiss: this torture violated the Convention.

At least I could see him: I loved Internet cameras.

"Certainly, Wade."

"Good. Mom wants to spoil you, and Ron is preparing a batch of 'Wadeshine,' especially for you," and he grinned, "and Donna's ready to cook for you."

Donna. I hoped that she was holding her own, health-wise, but there was something more important to ask him.

"Wade, are you ready to talk about Stephanie?" Wade paused for a moment, and then he answered:

"I am, now, especially if my hero is with me," he replied with a smile and a hint of – fear?

-----

I rang the doorbell, and the door opened to reveal Wade's mom.

Her press photos didn't do her justice: she was pretty; no, she was a beautiful woman.

"Jocelyn!" and I got a "momma" hug: it felt so much good...

"You're here early," she commented as she swung the door open, and I pulled my wheeled backpack in behind me.

"I wanted to surprise him, and I was ahead in all my classes, and the teachers let me out of class after yesterday, so I came.

"Besides," I grinned, "I haven't hugged him in **months**, and I'm looking forward to my first hug," and Rachel laughed as we walked down the hall.

"Girl, you've got it **bad**; and no one deserves some happiness more than you, dear. Wade's on a call with Betty and Kim, but I'll let you in so you can surprise him," she added with a conspiratorial grin, and she palmed the lock, and the door swung open silently, and I could hear Wade wrapping up the call.

I left my bag just inside the door and stealthily came up behind him, and put my hands over his eyes.

"Mom?" he called out, a hint of surprise. Betty and Kim could see me on their screens, and I could see them on Wade's big screen, and they were each holding back a laugh.

"Not unless she's changed hair color, my 'berry-meister," I whispered loud enough so that the microphones would pick it up, and Betty and Kim both burst out laughing as I spun him around.

"Jocelyn!" and he jumped up and kissed me and hugged me.

All these things sent through my mind at the same time:

'Wow, I didn't know he could move that fast.

'Wow, he's lost even more weight.

'I don't care if he's lost an ounce, he feels so good in my arms.

'Why did I ever let him leave Montana?

'How long would it be before Daddy screamed, if I moved down here?

"Miss Possible!" a familiar voice came over the speakers, and I broke my fast and looked up to see Mr. Barkin show up on Kim's screen, a foreign-concept smile on his face that disappeared almost immediately. "Why aren't you in school?"

"Hello, Mr. Barkin, sir.

"My teachers excused me from classes early since I was ahead in all my subjects," I answered, and the smile returned.

"I've heard good things about your grades and your deportment, Miss Possible: keep up the good work," he added.

My turn…I hadn't gone **all** 'good girl', and I grinned inwardly….

"Mr. Barkin?" I asked politely.

"Yes, Miss Possible?"

"My assistant principal, Mr. Brickle, had a message for you, sir," and I started a very tiny external smile.

"He said to tell you that you still owe him that bottle of Glenfiddich. What's Glenfiddich?" and Betty did a spit-take, followed by Kim's chortle.

"That, Miss Possible, is something I'm glad to hear that you haven't encountered."

"Is it anything like Glenlevit?" I asked, and Betty and Kim did a laugh-burst, followed by Wade's.

Mr. Barkin sighed….and walked away, muttering something about PDAs and TMI in the hands of today's youth.

"Now, where were we," I asked with a hint in my voice, and Wade replied with a hug-and-kiss re-start.

"Are we going to get any work out of him, Kim?" Betty sighed.

"I think we're finished, Dr. Director," and Kim signed off with a laugh.

"Excuse me…" Betty waited for about a minute before interrupting.

"Do you need something, Dr. Director?" Wade let me go, much to my dismay, and turned back to the monitor. I thought my face was gonna break from the smile; I could see my reflection in Kim's now-silent monitor.

"I just wanted to make sure that you had all the information, Wade, and make sure that I had the right time for dinner night after tomorrow: 6:30 at Donna's house, correct?"

"That's right, Betty."

"Good. I'll let you two get back…Joss?"

"Yes, Betty?"

"How's Slim?" there was a hint of anticipation in her voice…could it be?

"He's fine, Betty; he's tied up in a Tornado bug-fix right now, but otherwise he's ok. Something to do with the bird he put up a few years back."

"Good; tell him I said hello, will you, when you get back?"

"Sure thing, Betty; it's the least I could do after you helped me cage my demons," and Wade and Betty both laughed. I was confused.

"It's all 'Possible,' Wade," Betty said matter-of-factly, and then grew an instant smile.

"It certainly is, Betty. See you later," and he cut the circuit.

"My forever love." He whispered, and he pulled me into a tight hug, tighter than he'd ever hugged me before, and he started shaking.

I pulled his head away, and there were tears.

"Fear tears, and joy tears," he said, and he hugged me again.

"I was afraid I'd never see you again, Jocelyn, and at the same time the thought of you coming down here kept me alive," he said into my shoulder, and he started me crying.

"Wade," and I buried my head into his shoulder, "that's why I came down early: I couldn't bear to be apart from you any longer," and we stood, holding each other, and crying like two babies for what seemed like a long time….

I pulled away and took his hand, and we went to his desk, and I sat in his side chair. Then I crossed my legs, and he noticed my new boots for the first time.

"Oh, man…." He whispered.

"They're new," I stated calmly, but I was excited and worried at the same time. "You like?"

"Those boots should be illegal in Montana **and** Colorado," he whispered with an evil grin, "so, of course, I think they're great, my love."

' Mission accomplished! I knew that my tall cognac-colored leather boots would get his attention, sooner or later,' and I grinned inside.

I stood back up and took his hand, again.

"I'm glad you like them," I replied, and I kissed him again.

I like kissing Wade.

-----

"Excuse me…might I assume that that you're Jocelyn?" a rich tenor voice came over my shoulder, and Wade and I broke apart, and I turned, and my jaw dropped about 2 feet under the floor.

I must have looked like a real idiot, but I didn't care:

OH!

MY!

GOD!

Standing just inside the doorway was a bronze Adonis!

If this was what Wade was gonna look like when he got a little older…evil thoughts ran through my mind like talented jazz musicians' melody bunnies in their fields of improvisation.

Sue me: Daddy hooked me on big band and improv jazz: I love them both.

"Dr. Ryan!" and I grabbed him and hugged him, almost knocking both of his canes out of his hands and him onto the floor.

"Yep, definitely Jocelyn Possible," he remarked, and I heard Wade laugh behind me.

"Please tell me Wade's not adopted," I begged, and Rachel laughed from behind Dr. Ryan.

"No, Jocelyn, he's not adopted," she told me as she came from behind him, and smiled a grin that only women understand.

Both men were clueless.

That was a good thing: I don't think that their minds or egos could have taken the positive shot that I'd just lobbed, and I'd have had to listen to Wade for a long time about it….

"I'm gonna need two sets of autographs before I go back, Doctors R," I finally let him go, "one for me, and one for Daddy."

"I think that that can be arranged," Dr. Ryan replied, and at least I didn't swoon and fall.

That voice could melt the Arctic, it was so H-O-T HOT!

I figured that Wade should have about 7 brothers and sisters with that voice.

-----

"Do you want to meet Donna, Joss?"

"DO I? Does Ron know how to cook trout?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he smirked, and I swatted at him but missed.

"How're we gonna get there?" his parents had left…

"We'll take the tube," as he held to door open for me to leave the house.

'Thank you, Doctor Ryan: you raised a real gentleman.'

"Middleton has a subway?"

"Not exactly," and we were about 10 feet in front of his house on the sidewalk, and he grabbed me in a hug.

I'm gonna complain about that?

"Hold on tight," he grinned, and the ground under my feet disappeared, and we fell real fast.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

And we stopped in a room, and the lights came on silently to reveal an elevator in front of us.

"What….the….heck….was….**that**?" I tried not to hyperventilate.

"GJ's favorite toy: they're all over the city, if you know where to look, and know how they're triggered," Wade replied as he punched the button at the elevator, and the 'ding' signaled the door opening.

As we rode up, I tried to convince my legs to stop shaking: I lost….

-----

"Hello, Wade," the nurse at the front desk tittered. "I'll tell Dr. Jackson you're here."

"Does she have a patient?"

"No, but –" and Wade pulled me to the door and knocked!

"Come on in, Wade, the door's open," the voice from behind the door answered, and Wade swung the door open.

He pushed me in front of him, and I stumbled into the room.

Wade?

"Joss, this is Dr. Donna Jackson. Dr. Jackson, this is Jocelyn Possible, my fiancée," and I looked over to see a smiling woman in a wheelchair. She looked familiar.

"Jocelyn. I was in the same sorority as your mother," she came over to me and took my hand, and that's where I remembered seeing her.

"Were you in the picture of Mom's pledge class?" and she smiled real big.

"You're a flatterer, just like her: I'm older than that picture, but thank you, just the same," she replied, and then motioned for us to sit. Wade plopped onto the couch, and I followed.

"So, what brings you two here?"

"I wanted you to meet Joss before tomorrow night, and I need to know what's planned." Something's wrong with Wade; he's not normally this brusque.

"Well, we're starting with a green salad with light, mango vinaigrette, then -"

"DONNA!"

"You wanted to know everything, Wade, so you'll get everything." Donna sounded upbeat, but there was sadness trying to hide underneath, and she was working to hide her emotions.

"Everything?"

"Everything, Wade. All of the things you weren't told when it happened and haven't been able to access when you tried hacking into my private files and those at GJ."

'Wade!'

"All right," he slumped back on the couch.

"Who don't you want there, Wade?"

"Who did you invite, Donna?"

"Your parents.

"Kim's parents.

"Kim.

"Ron.

"You, of course," and she smiled at that, and Wade finally smiled, but it disappeared real fast.

"Jocelyn.

"And me. Anyone else?"

"Betty."

"Betty?"

"If the files are sealed, she has to be there to answer the most important question:

"Why are the GJ files sealed on a person who has no connection with GJ?"

"Because she was in the incoming GJ recruiting class, Wade, that's why; a class just like the one that Rebecca Jane's in, now," Donna answered, and Wade just glared, then slumped back, then stood up.

"Joss, I have to go. You can stay; in fact, you probably should stay." and he walked out the door and slammed it.

I looked at the door, then back at Donna. She looked real sad, now.

"Why?"

"Because he was nine, and a nine-year-old shouldn't hear why his friend killed herself, Jocelyn."

I just sat there.

'Wade needs me, now

'He was taking it bad; this, to him, was as bad as dealing with Momma's death was for me, but I didn't know why.

"Has anyone told him, Donna?"

"No, Jocelyn. He'll hear the whole story tomorrow night, and I won't tell you any more," and she crossed her arms.

Then, she surprised me:

Donna uncrossed her arms and pushed herself on her wheelchair arms and stood up!

"Joss," and she held her arms out, and I stood slowly and walked over to her hug. She wrapped her arms around me, and I just stood there, not responding.

"I didn't have a chance," she said as she released me, "to tell him that the research that he's been doing has yielded some surprising drug combinations, and this is the result.

"I can stand for short periods, but I'm still weak.

"My doctor has no idea why, but the cancer appears to be in remission," and she burst into tears and grabbed me, again. This time, I returned her hug.

Not knowing is the battle that none of us want to fight….

-----

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn," Donna backed away from me and fell gently back into her wheelchair, picking up her legs and placing them on the footrests on the chair.

"'No big, Dr. Jackson,'" and she chuckled as I sat back on the couch.

"So, fiancée, huh?" she smiled.

"No marriage until I get out of college, so Daddy's ok with that," I answered, and I crossed my legs.

"Good.

"Wade's very lucky to have found you, Jocelyn."

"I'm the lucky one, Dr. Jackson. And, it's Joss."

"Only if it's Donna."

"OK, Donna," and she smiled.

"Donna, how bad is the pain?" and she grimaced.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least amount of pain, it's typically a 5, but that's down from an average of 8.

"Joss, it's not about me. How are you doing, now?"

"Much better, Donna, since I have my hero.

"He came to help me 'a little bit,' and we're now started providing drug interdiction intelligence information for the Montana AG and hosting the 'Team Possible' site, so he now doesn't have to pay for it out of his own pocket," and I re-crossed my legs. Donna looked surprised, but I couldn't tell what surprised her.

"He stayed with me after I yelled at him; that was the trigger that caused Daddy and Betty to decide that it was time. He could have left then but he chose to stay. He sat thru the whole thing, Donna, thru things that he didn't have to hear, and it just confirmed what I suspected:

"He was my dream come true, and had been ever since he climbed out of that jet."

"Have you sat down and talked to Rachel, his mom?"

"No, not yet. After what just happened, that's where I'm going next," and I shuddered at the idea of the GJ tube…then I realized I had a problem.

"Snake muffins, I can't get back," I mumbled, and Donna chuckled at my comment.

"I'll take you back, Joss. I need to get out of the office, and I don't have any appointments until this afternoon."

So much for the tube.

-----

Rachel met me at the door, a worried look on her face.

"Jocelyn, what happened?"

"Can we talk, Rachel?"

"Certainly," and she let me into the house and back to her studio office, and I was in shock:

She had three statues that she had in various stages of completion in the room, and there were several paintings along the walls and in different stages of completion.

She pointed to the couch opposite her gallery wall, and I sat, tucking my feet underneath me. She sat, doing the same. I giggled.

"What?"

"Momma used to do that," and she stopped smiling.

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn," she looked sad, and she un-tucked her feet.

"No, don't, please," and she tentatively re-tucked, and her face was in neutral.

"I need some 'momma advice,'" and she smiled.

"About boys," I continued, and she grinned even bigger.

"Wade left Donna's office when she told him that Stephanie was in the GJ training program, Rachel," I sniffled a bit.

"Rachel, did Wade tell you about us, about what we went through?"

"He told us some of it, Joss, but not all," and I knew she had to know all.

"Do you really want to know, Rachel? It's not pretty," and she nodded, so I started to tell her, but she stopped me, and she reached for the phone and hit a button.

"Ryan?

"Can you come to my study?

"Yes, love." And she replaced the phone.

"His dad deserves to hear this," and the door opened and Adonis walked in.

"Hello, Jocelyn," and at least I didn't drool. He pulled a chair up to the couch, and I stood up.

"Experience" and I motioned for him to sit next to his wife. He nodded, and sat down on the couch, and I took the chair.

I told the highlights; I was getting good at summarizing the events, now, but it still hurt. I didn't cry, but I had a couple of sniffles.

Both Rachel and Ryan had tears when I finished, and then I delivered the punch line:

"Your son stayed with me throughout all of this. He never left my side during the two times I told this, and, when I told him he was my hero for staying with me, he told me that I was **his** hero for making it thru everything," and that pushed me over the edge and I lost it, then, and I started crying.

I had four arms around me, almost immediately.

Rachel smelled like Momma.

Ryan smelled like Daddy.

I knew that my hero had the right family.

I pulled back.

"Wade took me out to our spot on the ranch for lunch, and he gave me **roses**, Rachel!" I gushed, and Ryan smiled, and Rachel grinned, "That's the time that he told me that he saw something in me that reminded him of Stephanie before she died, and that's why he came to Montana: he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to me."

"Jocelyn," Ryan started, and I interrupted him.

"Rachel, how do you deal with this man?" I grinned, and she looked confused.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed he's gorgeous, Rachel. How can you do anything but stare at him when he starts to talk, or even when he comes into the room?" and Rachel laughed.

"Intense…concentration…, Joss, and thank you: he swept me off my feet when we met, and he's treated me like a goddess our entire married life," she replied simply, and Ryan leaned over and kissed her passionately.

"Get a room, you two!" and they both laughed.

"Jocelyn, thank you for the compliment, but I'm not that good-looking: I think it's you and my wife that have selective filtering," Ryan replied, and Rachel snorted.

"I have expert third-party verification, my love," Rachel answered back, "so, once again, you're incorrect."

"But your son is 'to die for,' Ryan: That's why I said 'yes' when he asked me, and I'm counting down the days until I can become Mrs. Wade Load," I added dreamily, and Rachel chuckled.

"You've definitely got it bad, Joss."

"That's why I'm worried about my hero, Rachel. Did he come back here?"

"He did," she replied, "he slammed the doors coming into the house, and he's in his room, with music going ever since he went in. That's how I knew something was wrong: he's playing the same music that he played after Stephanie was gone.

"You knew about his agoraphobia?"

"Not until after he was there, and I only heard about it from Ron at a party for Wade that Kim arranged." and Ryan looked surprised.

"We'll save **that** for much later, Jocelyn," Rachel continued.

"He only became like that after her death, dear. He rarely came out of his room; that is, until after he saw you at your ranch," and Rachel started to mist up.

"He was so scared of leaving, but he was so scared for you, Jocelyn, that he packed up and went to Montana," and she broke down in huge sobs, and Ryan held her.

"I'm sorry," I choked out, and she looked at me angrily.

"Don't ever **say** that, Joss. Don't **ever** let me hear you say that. You have **nothing** to be sorry for."

Momma voice.

"You gave me my Wade back, Joss; I should be thanking you, and it looks like you've brought him forward far and fast enough that he's now ready to face the parent of his agoraphobia.

"Thank you, Joss, for giving me back my son," and she reached out and pulled me from the chair and hugged me.

Momma smell.

"Thank you for giving me a chance to see Wade, again, you two," I smiled as I was released.

"I made Wade a promise before he left: we'd make it work. I told him that I wouldn't leave him, and I won't. No matter what demons he's facing, I'm there, with him, forever," I said confidently, and Ryan smiled.

"You're amazing, Jocelyn."

"Joss."

"You're amazing, Joss," and he kissed my cheek.

"Hey! 'No kissie from my husband!'" and Rachel channeled Shego, and broke out laughing.

"What's that picture in the corner?" I pointed at a canvas covered with a drop cloth.

"A surprise," Rachel grinned, "and, no, you can't see it," and I pouted.

"Snake muffins.

"I'd better go and see about my BFBF," I moved towards the door, and Rachel surprised me.

"You speak 'Mon'! She's NTBB on her MSS," she said with a smile, and Ryan looked totally confused.

"And Wade's TDF, Rachel," and I headed out the door, then stopped and turned back to them

'Thank you; I think I'm ready for tomorrow night, now," I said, and then I headed for Wade's room.

-----

** (Dr. Wade Load)**

I had to leave Joss there; I had to get back home and collapse in private, in my room, and start preparing for my nightmare.

She came back later, while I was sitting and listening to music for an hour before she returned.

She just came in, sat with me, and we didn't say a thing: she just held my hand.

She was telling me, by her being there, that it was my time, my turn, now, and she would be there for me.

That's all I needed to know.

We sat thru three more hours of music, her just holding my hand, not saying anything, but I glanced at her once and saw a tear chasing its twin down her cheek.

Before she left the room, she kissed my cheek, and whispered:

"It's my turn, now, hero, to be there for you." And she left to go to bed in the spare room.

-----

Lucky for me, the next day was busy.

I had to get Kim and Ron out and back on a mission to the East Coast; just a hurricane, but the havoc it wreaked on flights back was bad.

Joss, my parents, and I left the house a little after 6 and arrived at Donna's house at 6:25.

When I got in the car, Joss was already in, and she was grinning, and she pointed down.

She was wearing her new tall boots.

"A lil' sump'in' for you, my love," she whispered, and I heard a giggle come from the front of the car.

So much for my concentration.

I looked up, and she was smirking.

Then she scooted over and buckled herself in the middle, and took my hand.

Head in the game, Wade.

-----

When we got there (trust me, I have NO idea when that was: I had Joss'-boot-amnesia, and her skirt was glorious, and her blouse was glorious, and she was glorious…), I got out, opened the door for Mom while Dad opened the door for Joss.

He and I swapped before he rang the doorbell.

I knew I owed Donna an apology, but I couldn't do it, not right now.

'After tonight, if she was still speaking to me.

'If anyone was still speaking to me, that is…'

-----

Donna prepared an exquisite dinner, and Ron brought the flan and 'Wadeshine,' so Donna and my parents and Kim's parents got to hear **that** story: Mrs. Dr. P., Betty, Donna, and Mom and Dad laughed through most of it, and Mr. Dr. P. finally relaxed and actually laughed after he realized that there was nothing that Slim hadn't already approved of.

We all adjourned back to Donna's home office at the back of the house; she tried to keep has family away from as much of her work as possible. We ended up in a large room that, I assumed, she used for group therapy sessions.

It was time.

I wasn't ready.

I looked at Joss, and she smiled and squeezed my hand, saying without a word 'We **can** and **will** get through this.'

I kissed her, took a deep breath, squeezed her hand back, and **now** I was ready for my nightmare to begin.

"I'm ready, Donna: let's start."

-----

Donna started with the first load of dynamite, and tossed a live grenade on top to make sure it had my attention.

"Wade, I have Stephanie's diary. I received it in the mail two days after her funeral; she had mailed it to me the evening of her death. There are some sections in here that she wanted me to read to you when you were older. At this time, I'm following her last requests from her will that has been duly probated by the County Magistrate."

I almost squeezed Joss' hand in two, and I saw Mom reach over and touch Dad's hand, and they grabbed each other's hands.

"Jim and Anne, you know who Stephanie Watership was; Kim and Ron, Stephanie Watership, as we discussed earlier, was a PhD candidate at MIT who committed suicide, and Wade had to identify the body at the morgue," and Kim grabbed Ron's hand.

**(Diary of Stephanie Watership (deceased)) **

September 3, 2002

Diary: this has been the worst day in a long time, and it holds promise to be the best, at the same time.

Bad news: I've got Dr. "Hands" again for another class.

He thinks that, because I look like his idea of a pixie 'Dream Barbie' with big breasts and shapely, long legs (well, that's what some of my male friends have told me, and I work out, but I still think they're ugly), he can ogle me all year long; well, he's got another think coming this year: baggy sweaters, even in the heat, even if I have to borrow money from people to buy them.

I had very little cash money; my foster parents won't spend a dime of the money that they get for 'taking care of me' on anything except drugs and alcohol for themselves and food for the other, younger, foster kids, so forget money for me. I made my spending money tutoring, when I could do it.

God, I get tired of only having resale clothes and never having anything new, but after awhile you know where to look, and no one's the wiser, most of the time….

Good news: I think I've found a friend who just might understand what it's like to be a genius. Scratch that: I know he will understand, but it may take awhile; he's a little younger…..

I came to the lecture section early to get a seat in the back to try to avoid Hands' eyes, and there was this little kid talking to his mom.

Please don't let this class turn into a babysitting service like my last class did: crying babies, and running seven-year-olds with toys and boy band songs blaring from their mePods…..

He looked about seven or eight, and he was handing his mom some papers and pointing to some things on them.

Great: little Johnny made an 83 on his spelling test.

He was a skinny little African-American kid, but he was talking to a Hispanic woman.

Anything's possible…and then he picked up this backpack that was almost as big as him and came up the stairs to sit, down the row from me!

He opened the backpack and pulled out the books for the session.

Very interesting, I thought in my favorite fake German accent, and I giggled.

He looked me when he heard my giggle, and smiled.

Nice smile.

Geez, Steph, has it been that long since the last date? Well, yes it has, but that's not important….

He got called on twice by 'Hands', and he nailed the responses both times.

Who **is** this kid named Wade Load? I caught his name when 'Hands' called on him the first time.

After class, I stayed behind (to avoid 'Hands') and walked over to him.

"Hi;" I said, and stuck my hand out.

"Stephanie Watership."

"Like the book?"

'He'd heard of 'Watership Down?'

"I read it when I was four: excellent read, good characterization, not stodgy at all.

"Wade Load," and he stuck out his tiny hand, and I shook it.

"I thought –"

"That I was some kid here with his mom: **been** there, used to it."

"Who was that that you talking to, before class?"

"Oh, that was Jessica Martinez-Sloan; she's married; she needed some help with her website, and I was giving her the instruction to get into the one I wrote for her," and he looked pleased. "I'm making good money for a nine-year-old; I just hate having to file the 1040 long form and the schedule C: IRS forms are such a drag," and I laughed and then thought: WEB SITE! Just what I needed: help for mine….

"You're younger than the rest of these geezers, Stephanie Watership," Wade announced, "and you're much prettier than most of them, too. I really like your red hair: it's flippy, but not too flippy."

"You think so?" and I unconsciously flipped my hair. Now I was fishing for compliments from a nine-year-old! Geez, Steph, you're getting desperate.

"Of course, you're prettier: you have something topside, too, and most of the women in here would kill for your top," he stated matter-of-factly, and I blushed.

He's nine, and he's checking out my breasts?

I couldn't help it: my biological mom must have been a stripper or something for me to end up, at 16, with a D-cup.

At least, she could have been a tall stripper: I hated being so short.

It helped now; Wade wasn't scared of me: maybe because I was his height; well a little taller…..

"Hey, I need some help with my website; you available?" and he reached into his backpack, pulled out something, and handed it to me.

wow.

A multi-colored brochure: four pages, slick paper, professional-quality printing, tight copy, complete with price estimates.

"Where'd you get these?"

"I made them. I needed some marketing collateral, and I didn't have the money at the time," and he shrugged.

"You wanna come over to my house? We can talk about what you need for your web site."

"Sure, Wade," and I smiled.

My God, Stephanie: robbing the cradle?

"Dad should be outside, waiting; he had a class that should have ended 15 minutes ago."

"Your dad's a student here?" Brains in the family?

"No, he's the head of the Political Science department." Brains in the family!

"Your dad is Ryan Load?"

"Uh-huh," and he held the door open for me.

"Daddy told me to always hold the door for a lady," he explained as we went to his dad's car.

I like this kid. He's sharp, and he has better manners than any of my old boyfriends had. If he were a few years older-

BAD STEPH!

Your mind out of the gutter, you must remove.

Sue me, I liked the movie.

"So, Stephanie, are you a senior or first-year graduate student?"

"I'm a candidate for my second PhD," I replied smugly.

"I'm working on my first," he answered. "There's Dad's car," he pointed.

He's a PhD candidate? This is getting very interesting….

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

I smiled: I remembered that like it happened yesterday.

"Red hair, huh, Wade?" Kim was grinning, and Joss chuckled as Kim flipped her hair. "Flippy enough for you?" and Ron laughed with me.

"You want me to flip it, Kim?" I grinned evilly.

**"WADE!" **

"Remember BonBon at the swimming hole?" Joss blurted out. "I thought she was gonna freak when a pair of redheads came out in those white swimsuits."

"KIMMIE-CUB!" and Mr. Dr P. looked seriously miffed, and Kim tried to climb into the couch cushions.

Kim must have 'forgotten' to tell Mr. Dr P. about her swimsuit.

Then, he surprised me: he laughed a good belly-level laugh.

"At least, yours had more material than the one that your mother wore when **she** was 21," and Mrs. Dr. P blushed a nice bright red, and Rufus popped up from Ron's shirt pocket and gave her a tiny thumb's up; that made her blush even more. "You still look wonderful in it, Anne," and he kissed his surprised wife.

Mrs. Dr. P. in a white swimsuit, smaller than Kim's…

BAD WADE!

But, leave it to Ron…

"Wade! You liked the ladies 'big,' huh?" and it was my turn to get embarrassed while everyone laughed.

"Well, **that** explains **that**," Betty mused, and realized that she had spoken far louder than she intended when the laughter went up three notches, and she blushed even more.

But, leave it to Mom….

"Anne, you know how it is with boys: they won't leave for a bottle unless you threaten them or pry them off of you. I can't imagine how you survived two at the same time with Jim and Tim, but Wade wouldn't stop until he was almost 10 months, and he was almost at the stage of nursing and reading at the same time," and I looked for a GJ portal to leave while everyone laughed, and Mrs. Dr. P smiled, nodded, and blushed even more.

Mr. Dr. P was smiling, but I had no idea why….

-----

Donna dropped the next load of dynamite.

"Stephanie left specific instructions for me, Wade. There are some parts of her diary that she didn't want read to you, but I can assure you that they're not bad things.

She left me notes on what to read next, and that's this section."

-----

** (Diary of Stephanie Watership (deceased)) **

October 28, 2002

Diary: this looks like it's gonna be a good fall session, class-wise, at least.

My family life, outside of home, was wonderful.

Wade's parents were wonderful to me, treating me like a daughter.

Wade was the younger brother I'd always wanted, but I secretly wished that either he were older or I were younger…

BAD STEPH! I grinned.

'Real' family: sucked, big time….

Got the results to my mid-terms on Friday: mid-90s on all my tests, and A's on all of my essays.

Wade made a 99; he's the real thing.

He is driving Hands to distraction with his insightful questions, and other members of the class are secretly cheering for him when he goes after Hands when he misquotes the texts.

YEAH!!!!!

Wade's parents were thrilled when I told them, and they took me out to dinner to celebrate.

I hadn't had a hot meal in a restaurant in years.

Then, Mr. Dr. Load stood, offered me his hand, and led me onto the dance floor, and we Danced!

He was surprised that I knew ballroom, and I loved being held by such a gorgeous man, even if he didn't dance as good as me.

So much for stereotypes.

I looked over at Mrs. Load and Wade, and they were beaming.

Wade was so damn lucky.

I wanted this life.

I wished I had his parents, his family, him as a little brother.

I managed not to cry until after I left their house that night.

I went to the park to sleep, and I cried myself to sleep and didn't get up until the dawn woke me.

I went back 'home' on Sunday; I'd been staying with different friends this semester, trying to figure out what I was going to do about my 'home life.'

'Mother' and 'Father' were there, and so was 'Uncle James', at the kitchen table, with two lines of cocaine on the kitchen table, and the baby crying in their bedroom. The other kids were dead silent; they'd been taught, as had I.

I didn't trust 'Uncle James;' I'd been told that he was Father's brother, but I didn't believe it; something didn't feel right about him….

'Father' poured a cola into 'my glass' from the bottle in the fridge; for some reason, he always did that whenever I came home. His only attempt at being polite, so I didn't reject it….

"Where you been, girl?"

"Staying with friends, 'Father,'" he wanted me to call him 'Father,' and he'd beaten that into me when I was younger. I'd learned.

"I wanted to save you money on food for me," I added politely, and he snorted.

"Good thing, girl," he answered, then pointed to the line on the table,

'No, thank you, 'Father,' I just wanted to give you a report on my grades."

"Well?"

"Mid-90s on all my tests, and A's on my essays."

SLAP!

"Why no perfect scores?" he snarled at me, and I felt my cheek burn, and I wanted to cry, but I knew the consequences of that…..

"I'm sorry, 'Father,'" I bowed my head. "I'm ready to receive my punishment," I added demurely, like I'd been taught, and I bent over the kitchen table like a good girl.

WHACK! No sound, Stephanie, or there'll be more.

WHACK! No sound, Stephanie.

WHACK! No sound.

WHACK! No

WHACK!

WHACK!

WHACK!

WHACK!

"I'm sorry, 'Father,'" I stood back up and sniffed my tears back inside. "I will do better on my finals," I promised.

"Good thing," he replied, putting away the strap and staring back at his cocaine on the table. "Grades go down, and the money stops, and we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" and he smiled.

"No, 'Father.'

"May I go, now?"

"Git, girl, and don't come back without a six-pack and cash," he stared at his drugs on the table.

"Thank you, 'Father,'" I acknowledged him, and I walked calmly out of the house and gently closed the door.

I didn't do anything until I was six blocks away from the house, out of earshot of the house, in the park….

Then and only then did I fall to my knees and cry for the children still in that house, and I prayed, again.

'God, please protect them. I don't care about me, God, but please, God, watch over them and take care of them. They're so little, and they haven't done anything wrong…' and I fell on my side and curled up in a ball and cried, still hurting….

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

"She never told me," I whispered, breaking the silence in the room.

"She came over here after that, and I offered her a seat, and she wouldn't sit down, and I wondered why, and she wouldn't tell me, and that's what happened, and she wouldn't tell me.

"Stephanie, why didn't you tell me?" I yelled up at her in heaven, and I looked at Joss, and tears were attacking her cheeks.

"Wade, you were nine," Betty answered. "She cared about you and didn't want to pull you into the mess that she had to deal with." I looked at Betty and was about to say something, but her face was wet, as well.

I looked over at Mom and Dad; Dad was still holding her hand, and Mom's face was wet.

"Son, I'm sorry," she said, softly, and I stared at her, confused.

"I didn't see the signs, and I should have seen them," and she shook her head like she was trying to throw thoughts out of her head.

"Mom, please," and I wiped my face. "You didn't have the strap, you didn't hurt her, you and Dad did everything for her that you could for her," and the tears were winning in my eyes.

"Wade's right, Rachel," and I looked at Joss in surprise. "You helped her enough to keep her alive and filled with hope; that's all you could have done," and she smiled. "It must run in the family," and she held up my hand.

"Mom, Dad," I looked over, and Kim had gotten up and walked over to her parents and knelt down in front of them.

"Thank you for my life," she said softly and simply, and she dropped her head into her mom's lap as she broke down into huge sobs, and Mrs. Dr. P. held her head and cried with her.

I had never seen that look on Mr. Dr. P.'s face, and I never, ever, wanted to see that look, again:

This was worse than any 'black hole probe' look that he'd ever given Ron: this was anger, fear, sadness, and the tears fell from his face as he reached over to touch his daughter, but drew his hand back quickly as if it would hurt Kim if he touched her.

He was afraid to touch his own daughter, his little girl, and the sadness grew on his face, and I wanted to hurt Stephanie's father for what he was now doing to the people I loved..

RON!

Ron was alone on the couch, and he was sitting calmly, but his eyes flashed a bit of anger that went away when he looked at me. He smiled, and I could see that his freckles were wet, as well.

Rufus came out, pulled a handkerchief from Ron's pocket, and handed it to him, them pulled a tiny one out and blew his own little nose.

"Thanks, little buddy," Ron said quietly, and wiped his face.

I looked at Donna: why she wasn't in pieces, I had no idea.

I was afraid I was about to find out.

-----

Donna lit the fuse on the final load of dynamite.

"There's one last piece to read from Stephanie's diary, Wade."

She looked so sad, so helpless, and so hopeless.

Now, I was really scared.

-----

**(Diary of Stephanie Watership (deceased)) **

February 13, 2003

Diary: this is gonna be a tough thing to write, but that shouldn't matter.

Donna, when you read this: I summarized the last few months so you'd not have to plow thru all of my ramblings. I hope it makes it easier for everyone who hears this.

This all started when I went back to my 'house' on November 4th. 'Father' had left a note at my college mailbox and asked me to come home and sign some papers for my spring financial aid on Friday night at 8:30.

I knocked precisely at 8:30 and opened the door and went in.

'Father' and 'Uncle James' were sitting at the table with a stack of papers.

'Father' poured a cola into 'my glass' from the bottle in the fridge, just like always. I drank it, and 'Uncle James' smiled.

"Did you bring the six-pack?"

"Yes, 'Father,' and I held up the beer. "I made sure that it was your favorite, and that it was already chilled, 'Father,' just the way you like it," and I felt dizzy for a moment, but it passed, then it hit stronger, and I fell into a seat at the table.

"What's wrong with you?" 'Uncle James' asked, and he had a strange look on his face.

"I don't know," and the last thing that I remember before I passed out was falling from the chair and 'Uncle James' saying "Now, let's see if she's still a –" and I lost consciousness.

-----

"Can you hear me?"

Someone was talking…

"Dear, are you awake?" and I cracked upon an eye, and the bright lights hurt my eyes.

"Mmmmm," and I realized that there was something in my throat.

"You're in the ER, dear, and there's a tube down your throat to help you breathe. I'm about to pull it out, but I need your help. You need to blow real hard, on three; can you do that?

I nodded, and opened one eye fully.

The guy talking to me was smiling, and his hand was at my face.

"One;

"Two;

"Three;

"BLOW!" and I blew real hard, and it came out, and my throat hurt.

"Good," and he placed an ice chip in my lips, and I sucked it in. My throat felt better almost immediately, but it still hurt.

"There's someone who needs to talk to you," he said, and a Middleton policeman came into view. I forced my other eye to open, and in halfway listened to me.

"Can you tell me your name, miss?" and he pulled out a pad and pen.

"Stephanie….Watership…." that raspy sound was my voice? Saying my name took almost all my energy.

"Well, Miss Watership, can we call your parents?"

"Parents….dead…." that got his attention.

"What…happened…to…me?"

"You were found in the middle of the High School football field, unconscious. Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

"No….boyfriend….why?"

"We found blood on your legs and pants, and the doctor found se-" and he didn't have a chance to finish as I yelled, louder than I'd ever yelled before.

I don't know how I got that out of my throat, out of my body, but I could feel the difference.

Something had been taken away from me; something precious to me.

"Call…Dr…..Ryan….Load….friend…" and I passed out, again.

-----

Wade's parents were wonderful to me.

They came and sat with me, I was told after I woke up, for hours.

They didn't bring Wade; I was really glad that they hadn't.

He didn't need to see this.

He didn't deserve this.

No nine-year-old deserved this.

They took me home after I was released, and they moved me into their spare bedroom, down the hall from Wade.

He would sneak in at night and read to me while I was recovering; there was something funny and yet kinda strange, having a nine-year-old read John Milton and John Kenneth Galbraith to you. He liked reading to me.

My professors passed my work to Dr. Ryan and Wade, and I was able to take my finals late, after I recovered, in early January. All A's.

The Loads insisted that I move in with them thru all of this, and they were the parents beyond my wildest dreams.

I got Christmas presents for the first time since I had left the home, and I had to explain to Mrs. Load why I had run out of the room, crying, after they put the third box in front of me, and she cried with me for my lost childhood.

The doctors had told her and Mr. Load what had happened to me, and she let me tell her at my own speed, in my own time, and she cried with me and hugged me.

I went to my priest and told him what happened, and asked him to ask God to give me strength to forgive those who had hurt me.

I got real sick in the mornings in late January for four consecutive mornings, and I went and bought one of those kits.

I never hated the plus sign any more than the sight of it on that piece of plastic. Happy Early Valentine's Day, Stephanie: it's a baby.

Now, I was sure who and what they'd done to me, and I couldn't let them do that to another child.

I told my foster mom, and she called me a slut and slapped me. I slapped her back, and I left there and never went back.

My priest said that what I asked him about was a sin, and I asked if what had been done to me was a sin, and I ran out of the confessional.

I went to the park and cried in the rain.

Life wasn't fair.

I'd gotten a letter in my campus mailbox, before all of this started, from Global Justice: I'd been accepted into their training program.

Now, this….

They'd never take me, now.

There was nothing left for me to do.

I spent the past three days as if nothing was wrong, but I made sure that I was real nice to the Doctors Load and Wade.

Wade.

Wade!

How could I do this to my 'little brother?'

I spent a lot of time thinking about him, and I wrote him three letters, leaving them with a lawyer that I hired, along with sealed instructions if something should happen to me. I also wrote my will, had it notarized, and left it with the same lawyer.

I had seen Dr. Donna Jackson for several sessions for my interviews to get accepted by Global Justice; I got series of envelopes ready to mail my diary to her through several drops that I'd created; friends in several towns that would re-mail for me, no questions asked.

I took Wade out for a soda this afternoon, and we laughed and talked and I lied to him, telling him that I was going to study in the library tonight and not to wait up for my 'bedtime story' of John Milton. He laughed as he got in the car, and I wanted to hug him goodbye, but he'd know something was wrong if I did that.

I'm going to go to the library, now: I just had dinner, and I spent the last of my money.

I wasn't going to need it anymore, anyway.

Wade, I'm sorry; I'm sure gonna miss ya. No more jokes, anymore. No more JKG. I love you, little brother.

Mr. and Mrs. Load: thank you for everything.

I love you all.

I love you.

I'm sorry.

Goodbye.

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

"The coroners' report confirmed that Stephanie was pregnant." Donna said calmly.

"I took the call, and I took the GJ tube to the morgue" Wade's voice surprised me.

"All that they would say was that someone was needed to identify someone, and they wouldn't say who had died," Wade was speaking very softly now, and it was like he couldn't control himself in speaking, but his words were laser-precise and pierced the sounds in the room.

"I got there, and they wouldn't let me in, not until Mom and Dad got there.

"When they got there, the coroners told them that the note left the body said that Rachel and Wade and Ryan Load would confirm identity; the person had no identification on them, just a suicide note.

"I had to convince Mom and Dad that I was big enough to go in, but they still wanted to go in first, so they overruled me.

"Mom went in first, and she came back out after a few minutes; she looked so sad…..

"'Wade,' she said. 'It's Stephanie,' and she knelt down in front of me.

"'She's dead, son. I'm so sorry.'

"I pushed past her and ran into the room, and there she was, lying on a cold, steel table, only her beautiful face and hair were uncovered.

"I'd never seen a real dead person before.

"I stood and looked at her, and then I went over to her and brushed a hair from her face. She was cold, but her hair stayed when I moved it.

"Her blue-green eyes looked so lifeless, so hopeless. I had always loved her cute nose; now, it wouldn't move anymore.

"No more Stephanie smiles.

"No more Stephanie hugs.

"I loved her hugs.

"She looked calm and at peace, and she'd never looked like that before.

"'Goodbye, Stephanie. Goodbye, Big Sis,' I whispered to her, and I walked out calmly.

"I looked at the coroner: 'Her name is Stephanie Watership; please take good care of her,' and Mom started crying, but I couldn't cry:

"I had to take care of Stephanie.

"I played Stephanie's favorite music at the funeral home after they had dressed her and readied her for burial: music written by the last Queen of Hawaii and music from the Wyndham Hills label.

"I sat with her for hours, and I listened to her music, and I told her what my dreams were, and I told her that I was going to miss her, and I told her that she was my best friend.

"Her foster family didn't even show up at her funeral; there were only 15 people there, mostly from our class. 'Hands' didn't even show up.

"We buried her, and I got a letter from her a week later: she told me to be strong for her, and she asked me to mention her when I got my PhD: she knew I would do in because she had faith in me, and she apologized to me for leaving her, and she told me that she loved me like the little brother that she'd always wanted."

Wade was silent, then he turned and looked at me, and tears were streaming down his face.

Just like mine.

"I never cried for her, Joss, I couldn't, because I was so mad at her for leaving me, but I got my first PhD, and I held it up and yelled 'This is for Stephanie!' and got a standing ovation, and I didn't deserve it.

"I've never cried for Stephanie, Joss, because she left me, and she couldn't tell me why, and I **failed** her, Joss!" and he fell into me with heaving sobs.

He was crying for Stephanie, and he had four years to let out.

I had time; besides, I was too busy sobbing, as well.

I looked over at Ron: Ron was still alone on the couch, and he glowed an intense blue, and the anger that flashed in his eyes scared me, but then he looked at me, and he looked so sad, and then some of his anger seemed to go away, and the intensity of his glow reduced to a medium blue.

Ryan and Rachel were holding each other, and Rachel was sobbing quietly into Ryan's shoulder. Ryan's tears had wet his face, but he was too busy taking care of his wife to care.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Anne were holding Kim; she had gotten off the floor sometimes, and she was sitting between them, crying inconsolably with Aunt Anne.

Uncle Jim scared me.

He looked like he was going to kill someone.

He had the same look that Ron had, and I was real scared.

"Stephanie had told us about Wade and his computer skills during her interviews, and I had started to investigate him as a possible future agent," Betty was calm, but her face was wet. Wade was looking at her, now, but I still had his hand, and he was squeezing mine.

"She was going to be the lead agent working with a young lady who had come to our attention from our sources, and we had found her babysitting website: crude, but a start, nonetheless.

"I called Rachel and Ryan and talked to them; they agreed that it would be a good idea for Wade to start to work with her, hoping that it would pull him out of his self-imposed lockdown, but by now he was showing full-blown agoraphobia, so he could only work from his room."

I looked at Betty, then at Wade, and I understood why he's blown up at Kim at the ranch.

I looked over at Kim; she'd raised her head, and I hoped that she'd come to the same conclusion that I had.

She stood up and walked over to us, then knelt down in front of us.

"Wade," she whispered, and he raised his tear-streaked face.

"Wade, I had no idea.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again: you are **my** hero, Wade, and I'll understand if you never want to work with me, again," and she started to cry, again.

She still didn't get it.

Wade looked at her like she had eight heads, and none of them had a clue..

"Kim," and she looked up.

Deja-vu, all over again.

"Kim, why would I never want to work with you, again? Did you hit your head, or do we need to check you for more moodulator chips?" and both Kim and Wade grinned.

"After what you're heard, Kim, I'm surprised that you'd want to work with me, knowing where my 'berry fetish, as my fiancée so politely put it, started.

"But, Kim, you **still** don't get it," and he started to fidget.

"I was scared of you using my untested equipment, but my worst nightmare is the day when you decide that you're going to stop saving the world.

"I'm not worried about the world; I'm a lot more selfish than that," and I could see the tear starting to form again in his right eye.

"You'll stop, Kim, and you'll leave me, just like Stephanie did, Kim, and I don't think that I could take that happening, again…." His voice trailed off, and then his eyes…

"I don't want to lose another big sister!" he whisper-shouted, and then he buried his head in his hands and heaved sobs. I put my arms on his back, and he sobbed even harder.

I finally understood:

He had loved Stephanie, and he lost her.

He loved Kim, and he couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him and going off to live her life.

He loved me, and he was scared he was going to lose me.

He loved me so much that he put all of his fears aside and came to Montana and stayed with me and worked his cute lil' hiney off, and he gave me **Roses**!

God, I don't know what I did to deserve him, but Thank You.

I didn't deserve him.

Kim's brain had finally started processing, again; for a redhead, sometimes she could be pretty dense.

Joss, you, too can be pretty dense, sometimes:

You **do** deserve happiness:

You **do** deserve Wade, and Wade **deserves** you.

"Wade," and Kim took his head in her hands and lifted his face to her face.

"I'm not Stephanie; I don't even play her on television," and he let a small grin escape from his so-sad face, "but I'm never going to leave you.

"You're stuck with me until you and Joss get so busy that **you** dump **me**," she said, then sniffed back a tear.

"I won't like it, but I'll understand."

"You've been a better little brother than the Tweebs," and her dad's response:

"KIMMIE-CUB!" and then Uncle Jim grinned.

"Well," Kim continued like nothing had happened, "except for that diary-hacking thing," and then she smirked and whispered, "and that battlesuit fitting," and Wade grinned broadly, and Kim's voice went back to her regular tone, "but 'that's not important,'" and they fell into a hug.

"That will never happen, Kim. I'll never leave you," she had broken thru the barrier, and he smiled as he pulled back.

Kim brushed his lips, and then they fell back into another hug.

"I love you, little brother," Kim said into his shoulder, and Wade responded,

"I love you too, big sis."

I wanted to yell 'NO KISSIE MY BF!' but I sucked it back in. I looked over at Ron, and his blue glow was gone, and he was smiling, again.

Uncle Jim was smiling and wiping his face with his handkerchief, then dabbing at Aunt Anne's face, then he started to kiss her tears away.

Betty was finally sitting relaxed, for the first time this evening, and she looked so much better..

Donna was smiling, finally. She looked relieved.

I finally turned to look at Rachel and Ryan: their smiles could have burned the house down.

I smiled at Wade; he looked at me, and finally smiled, and his tear-streaked face was finally free of fear and pain.

'Stephanie, you can rest easy, now,' I thought,

'Your demons have become Wade's demons, and he's a pretty good demon-slayer: I know that from experience.

'Thank you, Stephanie, for sending my Wade to me.

'We'll conquer the demons, Stephanie, for your little brothers and sisters, for all the little brothers and sisters that can't fight back, and for you, Stephanie,' and Kim reached up and pulled me into her hug with Wade, and he pulled me in even tighter.

'For my Wade, for Stephanie, for me:

'We'll make it work.'

-----

We had all finally returned to a semblance of calmness, and no one was crying, anymore. There were still sniffles, but no full-blown sobs.

I don't know how many tissues we'd used, but the piles on the floor were big!

"Joss."

It was Donna, and she looked a bit confused.

"Joss, you said something yesterday that bothered me all last night.

"What are you and Wade doing for the Montana Office of the Attorney General in providing drug interdiction intelligence information?"

I looked at Wade and grinned, then I looked at his parents.

Wade hadn't told them everything we'd been doing, or that he'd been doing.

I looked at Wade again, grinned again, and got my kiss. Then I crossed my legs, and I grinned even bigger inside while Wade watched me, then turned back to Donna, who was grinning, herself.

I began. "Well, Donna, it all started when Wade hacked into both the Montana DCI's network under the AG and their email system…."

-----

chapter now complete….

-----

**A/N afterward: **

I would love to tell you that Stephanie's entire story is from my fertile imagination. All of what I've written here is, sadly and unfortunately, the G-rated versions of the truth.

The bad news: there are predators out there, and they prey on all our children and young people and young adults, all in different ways, and they leave battered, broken, and ruined lives in their wake..

The good news: there are groups and organizations out there that are in-place shelters for these very same youth: they're in place to provide the Stephanies and Stephens of the world with an alternative to the choice that Stephanie made in this chapter; that's preferable, isn't it?

If you are able, find and help one of those organizations any time of the year, especially this time of year. There **are** children out there that have never gotten a Christmas present.

If you don't know where to look, look for a group called CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) or for groups such as Lutheran Social Services. These are shameless and un-requested plugs for these organizations and others like them that toil, with little fanfare and far less funds, for our future.

If you are not able, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, regardless of your beliefs.

It's for the Kim Possible fans younger than me, the ones that Disney's really trying to reach….

I thank you, and the young ones thank you, as well. Wade and Jocelyn thank you; Stephanie would thank you, too….

**Preview: **

Question: What do you do when you learn that your son's involved in providing drug interdiction intelligence information?

Answer: You say, with all seriousness: "Wade, you've got some 'splainin' to do!" and you sit back and find out what your else your 14-year-old son did on his summer vacation besides overcome his agoraphobia and get engaged. And, you worry: who did he 'hack' off, in both meanings of the word 'hack?' And, if you're lucky enough, you might even convince Ron to serve up some of his marvelous flan….

Wade's hacking into Montana DCI and the results are next: read this story in chapter four of Training Table Blues: Montana AG Blues.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.


	4. 4: Montana AG Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Wade has gotten past his issues as he's learned what happened to Stephanie, but Joss opened the door to a question about an event from this past summer at the ranch.

Wade's parents learn one thing that their 14-year-old son did on his summer vacation in Montana besides overcome his agoraphobia and get engaged: hacked into a State Law Enforcement Network and almost get arrested.

Oops….

Wade's hacking into Montana DCI and the results are next: read this story in chapter four of Training Table Blues: Montana AG Blues.

-----

Chapter 4: Montana AG Blues.

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

· Archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load;

· Diary of Dr. Rachel Nathan Load;

· Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load;

· archives and logs from Montana DCI)...

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

Donna looked more than a bit confused.

"Joss, you said something yesterday that bothered me all last night.

"What are you and Wade doing for the Montana Attorney General's Office, and what does it have to do with providing drug intelligence information?"

I looked at Wade and grinned, and then I looked at his parents.

Wade hadn't told them everything we'd been doing, or that he'd been doing.

I looked at Wade again, grinned again, and got my kiss. Then I crossed my legs, and I grinned even bigger inside while Wade watched me, and then turned back to Donna, who was grinning, herself.

I began. "Well, Donna, it all started when Wade hacked into the Montana AG DCI's network and their email system…."

"Hey! It seemed like a good idea at the time…." Wade interjected.

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

"It all started on Day 19 at the ranch last summer, and I was feeling cocky with the new Command Center now operational.

"I'd already been inside the AG network of other states ("I'll be nice and not tell you which ones; I have learned, Betty!" "Good." Was Betty's reply), but I hadn't tried Montana's network yet. I assumed that the network would cause me no problems, and I was right. I decided to send the AG and the Director DCI an email announcing that the Command Center was open for business, where we were and an offer for a tour, some ideas as to how we could help in the short-term, as well as some highlights on what we wanted to do long-term.

"That," I grinned, and Joss groaned, "in hindsight, was not the best idea I'd had or decision I'd made…."

-----

**(Office of the Attorney General, State of Montana)**

"We have a problem."

"We have an intrusion."

Both section heads stopped as they left their meeting and were blocked by one agent each from their team carrying a manila folder with a red tab across the top.

Red means trouble, and the section heads looked at each other and thought the same thing:

'This can't be a coincidence.'

"Conference room, now," and they all four went into the room that the section heads had just left, by now vacated.

"What do we have?" came from the first section head.

"We have a level seven full intrusion through the complete firewalled network. Whoever did this is good: it took 5 seconds from first contact to full breach."

"That's impossible!"

"Here's the track: through all seven firewalls like crap through a moose."

"What damage was done?"

"None."

"None?"

"None," and the agent grinned.

"What did the hacker do, then?"

"Sent an email."

"What?"

"Seriously: sent a fracking email."

"To whom?" The section head was a BA in English.

"That's the problem: The AG, the DCI director, and both of you," and the section heads' cells rang as if on cue, and they both looked at the ID, and they both mouthed 'Boss.'"

"You take the boss; I'll get the rest of the info," suggested the second Section Head, and the first Section Head went to a corner, flipped open the cell, and took the reaming.

"What's the point of origin?"

"We don't know."

"I do," the second agent stated as she opened the folder.

"How?"

"It's in the email: the name of the location and GPS coordinates."

"You're shitting me!"

"No, sir, I'm not. We've got a code name, what this hacker wants, when he wants to meet-"

"Meet?"

"Meet, and where the meeting should take place, and why."

"Where?"

"He gave us the GPS coordinates: they match the location that he gave in the top of the email. It's a ranch, the Lazy C, inside the State."

"O-Kay, and why?"

"You'll love this: he wants to meet with the AG and the DCI to discuss helping us in our war on drugs."

The section head sat down and laughed for a second, then stopped.

"What are the chances?"

"No way to tell: it could be a trap, and the ranch could have explosives on it."

"Could they be expecting us, and plan a different kind of trap instead of what we'd expect?"

"Don't be ridiculous: no one with a brain plans a trap on top of a trap."

"Well, that was fun," the first Section Head came back to the group.

"Boss not amused?"

"AG and Boss. We're going in full to find this hacker and make a point."

"We?"

"You got it: the AG wants both of us there along with folks from MATIC and Major Case."

"Someone's not happy," the second Section head commented.

"Nothing compared to what the hacker's mood will be when we pick him up."

"What's the hacker's penname?"

"Tornado." And the section heads called the other two section heads and got them into the impromptu meeting, and in 20 minutes had a full plan in place.

It would take the team 95 minutes from call to wheels up, 36 minutes for the flight, and 14 minutes after landing to get to the front door. They had their go for operation "High Wind" in 12 minutes.

-----

**(Slim Possible)**

I answered the front door and found four suits out front, and 4 black Subbies with Montana government plates. Another 10-12 were fanning out around the ranch.

"Kin Ah Hep y'all?" I asked, and the person in front flashed a Montana DCI badge.

"Melisandretti Claremore, Montana Department of Criminal Investigation, Sir. Are you Slim Possible?"

"Ah am. Do Ah need mah lawyah?" I asked and I punched a button (unnoticed, I hoped) on the door frame locking down my research facilities, including Tornado's 'corral.'

"We're looking for Tornado," Ms. Claremore said, and I laughed.

"What woul' y'all want mah horse?" and the agents looked confused.

"Are you from DCI?" Ms. Claremore turned and saw Wade, and I could tell what she was doing: speaker is a young, early-teen, African-American male, approximately 5'3, 135 lbs, with no obvious weapons in sight.

"Yes sir, we are," she replied, and the young man nodded.

"Good: you got my message.

"I'm 'Tornado;' My real name is Wade Load," and he stuck his hand out for her to shake, and four UziNaZas clicked and were trained on him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please: I'm unarmed, I gave you the directions here in the email and let you through the gates, so why the weapons?" Wade had placed his hands slowly behind his head by this time. "Besides, you can't arrest me for EWB," he grinned.

"'EWB?" Mel asked, and Wade grinned even more.

"'E-mailing while black,'" he answered with a smile, and the one black agent in the group chuckled, but stopped when Mel glared at her.

"If you'd like, I'll show you the Command Center," Wade said, and Mel waved his hands down.

"Besides, you aren't anywhere close to being as dangerous as what I've already been through, this year," Wade added as he took them to the door of the Command Center.

"What was that?" I could hear them on a speaker (I knew that those hidden microphones would come in handy); I could tell that Mel, by this time, was curious, and I knew what she was thinking because I'd be thinking the same things in her shoes (but not her heels): this is no ordinary hacker or criminal, and what the hell is he doing on a working ranch?

"Diablos," Wade replied, and he opened the door to the Command Center, and I could see the light bulb go off in Mel's head. That was where she'd seen him before: on television, and that thought would stir up another question in her mind: What was Team Possible's Wade Load doing in Montana?

-----

"Daddy, what's goin' on?" Joss came down the hall after she saw the vehicles in the front drive.

"I don' know, Sweet Tea, but Wade's gone and done sump'n' strange, even for him, and DCI's here," I answered her, and Joss' eyes got big.

"Where are they?" she asked. I pointed at the bunker, and Joss took off in a dead run for the Command Center, grabbing her PosComm on the way out.

I pulled out my cell and punched in a speed dial code, and waited.

"Hello, Joey?"

Silence, then a laugh..

"Yup, Ah bet you got a big laugh outa sendin' your folks up here."

Silence.

"Yup: trust me: it's all good, and you're going to be 'berry, berry happy' when you get the call and the offer.".

Silence.

"Ah understand you're miffed, Joey, but that's mainly 'cause Ah didn't give you a heads-up: Ah didn' know how or when he wuz gonna contact y'all, but Ah suspected he would pretty soon.

Silence.

"Yup: you'll be gittin' a call from Betty purt' near soon, Sport."

Silence.

"No, Ah haven't married her yet! What gives you that idea?"

Silence.

"You're right about that: she is gorgeous, but she'd never be interested in me. Besides, she's got her work."

Silence, then a guffaw.

"Yea, that's right."

Silence.

"Well, come on down, then: Ah'm sure you're about to git an invite, and you've not had my latest 5-alarm buffalo chili, anyway."

Silence, then another guffaw.

"Yup, and you take me in poker? Right! Joey, you owe me so much now, you should be doing the cooking!"

Silence.

"All right…there's your call? Later, Joey. Semper Fi," and Slim cut the connection.

'This should be interesting…' I thought as I sauntered out the door and over to the Command Center.

-----

**(Melisandretti (Mel) Claremore)**

"You are Dr. Wade Load from Middleton?" I asked him as they went thru the doors into the waiting area, and Wade smiled.

"You're a smart one, Melisandretti," and I smiled and was surprised: he had pronounced my name perfectly on the first try, complete with the accents in the right spots.

We continued into the main center on the first floor, and the agents fanned out to check the room.

"Don't worry, there's no one in here, yet: we're not formally opened for full business, other than KP's website, that is."

"No one, except for me," a voice announced itself from a corner of the room. Two agents stepped into fire position as the young man in a GJ jumpsuit walked back to a desk and stood, pulling out a badge as he attacked the keyboard.

"And, you are?" I asked, pulling out my badge, and he flipped his open.

"Arnold Carlos, ma'am: Global Justice. I'm manning the GJ HAOC desk today from here," and I nodded.

"You're running Kim Possible's website from here?" I asked Wade as I turned back to him, and he nodded.

"Better than my bedroom: besides, the power company was not amused with the strain on the network.

"Can I show you a few things?" Wade walked over to his laptop and pulled up a map he appeared to have been working on.

"Here's where we are," and he used the pointer to show their location on the screen that had come out of the wall in front of them.

"Here's where your last drug bust was," and he pointed to a spot he'd highlighted in red on the map.

"And, here's where they moved the next meth lab to," and Wade pointed to a spot highlighted in yellow on the map.

"How do you know that?" **Now** I was now really intrigued: we'd just confirmed that location 2 hours before we received the intrusion alarm.

"Power consumption, vehicle traffic analysis, and chemical analysis from legally acquired air samples: these will stand up in court, because they're taken from Homeland Security's own air quality monitors," Wade said, and I was shocked at the amount of information that had been correlated: it had taken several agents days and weeks to pull all of this together, and this kid, this person, was doing it real-time!

"Before you ask how I know: my analyses have passed court reviews in cases filed by Global Justice," and I checked one item off my list, but I still had to break the bad news to Wade.

"Dr. Load, do you realize that your hacking activities are felonies under Montana law?" and Wade looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to take you into custody until we can resolve this. Dr. Wade Load: you have the right to remain silent," as I reached for the wrists of the very surprised Wade, and a young woman who had just run into the room had obviously heard my last sentence because she reacted rather vocally:

"NO!" she screamed.

"You can't take my Wade," she yelled and punched a series of buttons on her PosComm, and a monitor popped on above them.

"Global Justice Hot Agent – Jocelyn! What's wrong?" and Arnold Carlos' face popped into view. Joss had no way of knowing who was manning HAOC or where they were; it was a pure coincidence that Arnold Carlos was in the same room as her at that time.

"Arnold! We need Betty, stat! Montana DCI is about to arrest Wade!" and the screen split to darkness on the right side, and in moments the familiar eye-patched face of Dr. Betty Director, Head of Global Justice, popped into view.

"Wade! What did you do?" Betty had her 'mother' voice on, and one of our people chuckled.

"Betty, I just sent an email to DCI," Wade said innocently, but he wasn't grinning at all, now, especially he had almost been handcuffed and Miranda'ed.

"Did you send it on an open line?"

"Well," and Wade looked sheepish.

"Wade! Did you hack DCI?" Betty appeared to be trying her best not to laugh: so far, it was working.

"I just hacked to send the email," Wade whined, and I couldn't help but laugh now at the whining 14-year-old Doctor who'd just been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

Betty sighed, then addressed the agents.

"Which of you is in command?"

"That would be me, Dr. Director: Supervising Agent Stephen Sondmare," and Stephen flashed his badge.

"Good. Supervising Agent Sondmare, we're about to contact the DCI head and the AG and I'm telling them that I will vouch, both personally and professionally, for Dr. Load; if my word's not good enough for them, I'll get the Federal AG on the line, as well."

'Oh, it's about to get real interesting,' ran through my mind, and I grinned inside.

"Aronld: patch into the commercial lines and set up the call for Supervising Agent Sondmare."

"Doing it now, Dr. Director," and Arnold popped on a new monitor in the Command Center, patched Betty's frame into the open monitor, set up a three-way screen, and connected that monitor to the DCI video network at the Montana All Threat Intelligence Center (MATIC). The monitor popped on, and the agent monitoring was surprised at the faces that came up.

"Agent Sondmare? I thought you were on location."

"I am. I need the Director and the AG, stat. I've got the head of Global Justice holding for them," and the agent monitoring dropped his large Slurpster onto the floor with a splash and muted the line.

"Wade? " Betty smiled, "we'll talk later," and Wade gulped.

'Yup: definitely caught with his hand in the cookie jar!' and I smiled a thin smile.

After a few minutes, during which Wade was professional enough to continue to explain his results to Stephen and me and the other agents, the AG and the DCI Director popped up at the same time.

"Elizabeth!" the Montana AG grinned. "Have you been wearing that 'little red dress' of yours again and not told me when and where you'd wear it?"

'Do all of these people know each other? I guess they'd have to, at that level.'

"Yes, Joey, I have, and like I told you before: not EVEN in your dreams," Betty replied sweetly, and Stephen and Mel and the DCI Director all laughed with Joey Barbersoni, my boss's boss's boss, the Attorney General for the Great State of Montana.

"You go, Betty!" and Deborah Susan Drop, my boss' boss, the Director of the Division of Criminal Intelligence for the Great State of Montana, laughed with Betty. "Betty, what's up? And who is 'Tornado'?"

"That would be me, Madam Director. Dr. Wade Load of Team Possible," and the agents that hadn't heard the front of the conversation hurt their jaws as they dropped open and hit the floor.

"Dr. Load: what in Heaven's name are you doing hacking into our network?"

"Well, I wanted to get your attention," and the Montana AG, DCI Director, and Director of Global Justice all laughed loud and hard.

"Well, you certainly did that, Doctor," Director Drop said after she finally was able to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry, Director. Please, send me the bill for your expenses, and I'll pay for all of them. Unless, of course, you take National Express?" and this time it was Wade's turn to laugh as the AG and DCI Director were more than a bit surprised when he pulled out his card.

I was a bit surprised, but not any more: this kid had his butt covered pretty well, except for the hack, and he wouldn't have been found if he hadn't told us where to go. I needed to speak up, and I did:

"Director? Agent Claremore here. Dr. Load, in two hours, replicated the work on operation Justin-1 that took us 3 months to complete; I'd strongly recommend that you and Mr. Barbersoni come out here and see what he's got that he's offering for us to use."

"And, the best part, Sir and Madam?" Wade added. "The only costs to you would be the cost of travel for your on-site personnel to and from the facilities: rooms and board are available, and I'll cover those costs, as well. The analysis that we do here will cost you nothing," and the price tag got their attention.

"Forgive me, Dr. Load, but why are you doing this?"

"It's a long story, Director; suffice it to say that I have a very dear friend who lost her mother to drug dealers, and I told her that I'd help her any way I could," and Joss smiled, and I caught the smile. Must be her mother, and she must be his girlfriend.

Lucky girl, I thought.

"Besides," Wade added, "the dealers aren't staying in the big cities, and I know that you're not getting the funding that the larger states are receiving, but the large-state problems are coming at you like stampeding horses, so why not get a little extra help in keeping the problems at bay before they gets completely out of hand?"

"Dr. Wade, I like the way you think. But, again, who's going to pay for this?"

"I am, Sir. The facilities are privately owned, and we've been equipped by several private organizations. I've also made a dollar or two off of my inventions, remote conferences that I've conducted, and consulting work for other agencies, and I'm using those funds to fund these operations. Like I said; I'm more than willing to use it to help," Wade smiled, and the AG smiled back.

"I'll be here for another four to six weeks, and I'll be more than happy to give you and the Director a tour of the operations here should you choose to come over and discuss the plans that we have going, as well."

"I'm not available for a trip, what with several issues on my plate at the moment, but I'd have no problems, Director, with you going down there for a quick tour. Are you available?"

"I can fly in today, if you'd like to tour while your agents are on-site," Betty Director offered. "I can bring one of my agents with me, in my jet."

"How about Will Du?" Director Drop suggested.

'Who the hell is Will Du?'

"Certainly. When?"

"How about next Monday, Betty? I can check on the results of Justin-1 and also look at any additional information that Dr. Load has obtained for the location in question and other possible locations."

"Very well," Betty concluded. "Will and I will see you Monday morning at 0900 hours."

"Very good, Betty, and thank you. Dr. Load, thank you, and I apologize for the misunderstanding," Director Drop added.

"No, Director, I should be the one apologizing: I really should have called first before hacking," and both Directors and the AG and all of us laughed, and Joss breathed a huge sigh of relief as she came over just outside of camera range.

"If we're done: Arnold," and the multiple circuits all dropped at the same time.

"Wade, my man, you were in deep kimchee for a bit there," Arnold grinned. "Let me know where you want your body sent when Betty finishes with you," and he laughed as he stood up and stretched, then sat back down to continue his HAOC monitoring.

"WADE!" and Joss ran over to him and hugged him, drawing more than one stare from the agents.

"My girlfriend," Wade said between the hair, and I smiled. I had him pegged, I thought.

"Lucky girl," I commented out loud, and Joss smiled at me.

"You have no idea," she responded, and Wade smiled.

"Let's look at some other options, Dr. Load," Stephen suggested when Joss released him and kissed him, and we all sat down and went thru several sets of analysis on the overhead monitors.

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

Betty called me on my PosComm the next day, early in the morning, and explained to me what I'd almost done, and I was scared and mad at myself and truly sorry, but she hit me below the belt: She told me that she'd tell Joss about the battle suit fittings if I did it again.

"You mean, you did more than just Kim's battlesuit, **Wade**?" and Joss gave me the look, and not the good one.

She stared for a few moments, then burst out laughing. "Ah already know about Betty's, Wade, so don't worry," and I was able to breath until I looked at Mom.

"Wade, we'll talk when we get home," Mom said, and I knew I was in that same kimchee that Arnold talked about.

'Lucky, you and I will be seeing a lot of each other for awhile,' I thought.

"Rachel, don't worry: I was upset at first, but I realized that it was actually a good sign."

'Now, I was confused.'

"How?" Mom asked.

"If Wade was trying to get views of 'the girls,' at least he was developing like a normal 'tween; well, a normal one would be surfing the net for porn, not trying to get free shots of me undressed," Betty stated matter-of-factly, and my secret was partially out.

"Wade, we'll definitely talk when we get home," Mom said, and I knew I was in that same kimchee that Arnold talked about.

'Lucky, you'll be freer in your tank than I will be,' I thought.

"Anyhow, Director Drop came the day after Slim's party, so many people were moving slower after being up late the previous night," and I tried to retake control, and partially succeeded.

-----

"Hello Betty; Will," I greeted them when the jet wound down, and Betty jumped out of the cockpit and removed her helmet. Her hair still looked magnificent, and the jumpsuit….

BAD WADE!

BAM!

BAD WADE!

BAM!

BAD WADE!

BAM!

I was getting better at virtual head-banging.

Will crawled out of the rear seat, looking more than a bit rattled.

"Dr. Load: good morning," and he extended his hand like it was touching poison ivy.

"Agent Du: Good morning," and I shook his hand. No need to act like an arse, especially when I was sure he would do it to himself sometime later in the day.

"Breakfast?"

"Love some," Betty replied, placing her helmet back in the seat and striding towards the dining hall.

"I, uh, need to check on some things, Dr. Director, so I'll stay here, with your permission, of course," Will rambled, and Betty waved her approval as she headed for breakfast…or was she looking for Slim?

I grinned. I really wanted to do something to get them together, but I wasn't sure how they felt about each other. Joss and I had talked about the two of them, and we had agreed that they were perfect for each other. Joss had even given her a nickname: Momma2. I knew Joss must be serious if she was that willing to call another woman 'Momma' this soon after learning Betty's involvement in finding her mom, and that made me feel good.

That, and all of Joss' hugs.

I really liked her hugs.

-----

"Mornin', Betty; breakfast?" Slim was 'slingin' hash;' the rest of the world called it 'serving breakfast.'

"Yes, please, just some eggs and toast: I'm watching my figure," and Betty lowered her head and looked up thru her eyelash and smiled?

Slim had a wicked grin on his face; then, it was joined by the wicked gleam in Slim's eyes.

"Whah don't you have some bacon, and Ah'll watch that purdy lil' figure of yours for you?" Slim asked, and Betty almost dropped her tray and GIGGLED!

I don't need to do much; they're already dancing….

"I think I will have some of that bacon, thank you, Slim," and she TITTERED as she took her plate from Slim. Their hands touched for a second, and I'd have sworn that there were real sparks between them,. Then, their hands separated, and Betty took the plate and walked over to the table to sit down.

"Oh, mah goodness," Slim muttered to himself as he watched her walk away, and he dropped a plate of food on his boots. Betty heard the **CRASH**, turned and looked at Slim, and GIGGLED as she sat down at her table.

Slim hit the next plate, but after Betty sat down and leaned forward to take a bite of breakfast, Slim dropped his ladle on the floor with a loud **CLATTER**!

Betty looked up and TITTERED again!

I finally got my breakfast (Slim gave someone else the egg ladle).

'They've got it worse than Joss and me,' was my thought on the way to the table. 'Maybe I can help jump-start them,' came to mind as I walked up to the table. Betty was still grinning.

"Betty, how are you?" and I sat with her and grinned as she missed her mouth with egg while she tried to sneak another peek at Slim.

"Wade, you understand why I did what I did: most other governmental agencies won't be as polite as Montana DoJ if you hack them," and this time she hit the target and chewed.

"I understand, Betty, and I won't, again."

"Do it, or get caught?" she asked with a smirk as she took another bite of eggs.

"So, Betty, when are you and Slim going to get together?" and the eggs flew from her mouth and ended up on me.

Wrong color shirt to go with eggs.

"Wade, I'm sorry," and she handed me a napkin. I cleaned the egg off, sorta.

"Slim wouldn't want a career woman like me, anyway," and she took a bite of bacon with her eggs.

"He liked the career his eyes were following on the way to the table, so he seems to like careers," and this time I was wearing eggs and bacon.

"Sorry," and she handed me another napkin. She put her fork down and picked up her coffee cup, taking a drink.

"You and Slim: you'd be a great couple," and I went for the jugular. "Think of the cute kids you two would have," I added, and now I was wearing coffee, black and strong and more than a bit warm.

"WADE!" and people in the room turned, looked at us, chuckled, and went back to conversations and breakfast.

"Long story, Wade," she added with a tinge of sadness in her voice, and she was saved by Du-Duh calling her to tell her the Director Drop and others had arrived.

I needed a clean shirt.

-----

We walked out of the dining hall, and I almost fell.

Mel had come back with the Director and was standing behind her, and poor Mel was attempting to keep from laughing out loud.

I looked at the Director, and I knew why: she was suffering from a severe case of 'hero worship' with Will Du, and he was eating it up!

"Director," Betty spoke, and Director Drop looked away from Will and spoke, still smiling.

"Dr. Director," she replied, and they nodded.

"Director Drop: Wade Load," Betty introduced me, and I shook her hand.

"A little breakfast accident, Dr. Load?" Director Drop gave me a super-condescending look.

"Actually, that was my fault," Betty acknowledged, and Director Drop smiled. "Too many surprises at breakfast this morning," Betty added, and she smiled at Director Drop as if to say 'wrong assumptions will get you nothing from Dr. Load and Team Possible.'

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like for Agent Du to give me the tour, and for Agent Claremore to take the briefing," Director Drop asked, and Will crooked his arm, offering it to the Director, and she took it. "I trust Mel's judgment," and they started off on a tour of the Command Center, Will talking and Director Drop grinning like a schoolgirl; well, like Betty earlier at breakfast.

It must be in the air, and it only affected adults. I turned to Mel, and she was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Let's see what other magic you've performed, Dr. Load," Mel requested, and she and Betty and I all headed for the Command Center.

-----

**(Dr. Rachel Nathan Load)**

Betty stood up, mumbled "ExcuseMe," and ran out of the room.

Wade looked at me and asked, "I didn't make her mad, did I, Mom?" as I went after Betty. I caught up with her; she had run outside to the back of Donna's house, and I could just see her in the light from the full moon and cloudless sky.

"Betty, what's wrong?" and I was shocked when Betty turned around and her face was glistening in the moonlight as the tears fell onto it.

"Rachel," Betty whimper-called, and she ran over and hugged me, crying and shaking.

I instinctively hugged her back, but I still had no idea why she was crying.

When Betty pulled back from me, she wiped her tears with her hand.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but Wade's story hurt too much."

"Why, Betty?"

"Because, Rachel, your son understands me better than I do, than anyone I know understands me.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've been on a date?" and now I was surprised.

"Guys don't want someone as old as me, and they sure don't want the commander of Global Justice: I scare them off before they even get to the door!

"It's worse than my trying to date in High School, and my dad gave all of my boyfriends the 3rd degree when they would first come over; after awhile, Dad was revered by the other daughters' dads, and I had no boyfriends.

"Rachel, something clicked inside of me when I first took Wade to Slim's ranch," and Rachel now understood. "I saw my dead best friend's husband, and he looked SO FINE! I'm so embarrassed!

"And, when I brought Wade back to Middleton, he hit a little too close to home about my feelings about Slim. He told me that I **deserved** to be happy, Rachel. Your son **told** me that, Rachel, and no one's ever told me that before," and she started to cry again.

"Betty," I took her face in my hands, "I don't even pretend to know why you think that you don't deserve happiness, but you're wrong! You, more than anyone I've ever known, deserve happiness: you deal with the scum of the earth on a daily basis, and that doesn't even include Will Du," and that evoked a laugh from her.

"Sheri Nicole Possible is gone, Betty, and you haven't gotten over the loss of your friend. Until you do, you won't understand that she would never stand in the way of your happiness, if indeed Slim is the one for you."

"You know why I don't get mad at Wade, Rachel?" Betty asked. "He's the first male who's looked at me that way in a long time and told me I was beautiful: that's pathetic, isn't it?"

"Hey, he **is** a supergenius, Betty, but you've got to get that lower end of your age limit way up; besides, I'm **way** too young to be your step-mother," and that got a big laugh out of her.

"And besides, you'd have to fight with Joss for him, and I don't think she's gonna give him up without a fight," and I just realized how deeply Jocelyn cared for my son, and I was happy and concerned at the same time.

"And, I'd be Joss' step-mother, and I have no idea how she fells about that: me in that role, replacing her mother," Betty added, causing more tears to come.

"Betty, you're overanalyzing a sitch of the heart, and that'll never work.

"You're going to have to decide what you want, and it's not a decision to be made in one day, so you'd better get cracking.

"Make yourself a deadline, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, to either tell Slim how you feel or leave your feelings on the doorstep.

"I wouldn't ask Jocelyn, though: you'll only get her expectations too high; she already likes you a lot, and something going wrong there would not be good for either of you."

"Rachel, how do you know all of this?"

"Masters in Social Work, Masters in Psychology, and Master of Arts in Art: I was bored and couldn't decide if I wanted to paint or work with kids and / or adults. Now, I've ended up using all three degrees," I laughed, and Betty finally broke a smile and laughed with me.

"Are you ok, now, Betty?" I put my hand on her shoulder, and she put her hand on my shoulder.

"We're good, Rachel: thanks," and she smiled a real smile.

"Let's go back in," I suggested, "and see if my son's dug himself out of his hole yet," and we laughed together as we re-entered the room.

-----

"And you know the 'rest of the story,'" Wade grinned. "Mel's now our liaison with Montana DCI and spends the preponderance of her time at the Command Center, working with Arnold and Rebecca Jane, when she's not in classes, and Joss, when she's not at school."

"Mel and Ah git along real good, especially since she understands how I feel 'bout mah Wade," Joss drawled, and giggled.

"I'm working on getting' rid of my accent, and I do fairly well at school. My biggest problem is right here," she said as she pointed at, and then hugged, Wade. "He drives me to distraction so much, I forgit what I've learned, sometimes."

"Well, that's only fair, Joss: I've had to restart several sections of my latest dissertation because of you and those boots," and she held her skirt down and lifted her legs, showing Wade her boots, and he feigned a swoon.

"'It's cruel and unusual punishment, Warden, I tell ya,'" Wade complained, and was tortured even further by a kiss on the cheek Then, Wade looked up at Betty, standing over him and staring down..

"Betty, are you ok?" Wade asked her, and she smiled.

"Better than I've been in a long time, Wade; thank you," and she leaned over and kissed my son on the cheek.

"HEY! NO KISSIE MY BOYFRIEND, BETTY!" Joss exclaimed, and everyone laughed. "GET YOUR OWN!"

"I'm working on just that, Joss," Betty smiled, and I knew she would be ok and that she could make that decision. Now, if she would only follow-thru with it once she made it….

-----

chapter now complete….

-----

**A/N afterward: **

**Preview: **

Question: If you're Wade and Joss, who do you train with, and what do you start with for training?

Answer: D'OI! You train with the best. And, that's why, with all seriousness, Kim gave Wade a surprise Christmas present: she agreed to start training him and convinced Ron to start training Joss, as well.

Good news for Wade: he gets to spend personal, private time with Kim.

Bad news for Wade: it's time for his first lesson in 16 kinds of Kung Fu, and it's going to be a painful introduction….

Good news for Joss: she gets to spend personal, private time with Ron.

Bad news for Joss: Ron's going to introduce her to more Monkey Kung Fu that you can shake a big bunch of bananas at.

The good, the bad, and the monkey in chapter five of Training Table Blues: 16 Kinds, and Pek Kwar Blues

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

-----


	5. 5: 16 Kinds, and Pek Kwar Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Question: If you're Wade and Joss, who do you train with, and what do you start with for training?

Answer: D'OI! You train with the best. And, that's why, with all seriousness, Kim and Ron surprise Wade and Joss with a Christmas present: they are going to get personal training from Team Possible: Kim/Wade and Ron/Joss.

Good news for Wade: he gets to spend personal, private time with Kim: sorry, Bad Wade is not allowed!

Bad news for Wade: it's time for his first lesson in 16 kinds of Kung Fu, and it's going to be a painful introduction….

Good news for Joss: she gets to spend personal, private time with Ron.

Bad news for Joss: Ron's going to introduce her to more Monkey Kung Fu that you can shake a big bunch of bananas at.

Oh, and by the way: Wade and Joss still don't know about Ron and Kim and the ring...but they find out, real soon!

The good, the bad, and the monkey in chapter five of Training Table Blues: 16 Kinds, and Pek Kwar Blues.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

-----

Chapter 5: 16 Kinds, and Pek Kwar Blues.

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

· Archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load;

· Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load;

· Archives and logs of Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable

· Archives and logs of Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esquire

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

(December 25 morning)

DING-DING-DI-DING!

The doorbell rang, and Betty and Slim and I all laughed, and Wade looked more than a bit peeved.

"Hey! It's different," was his response as he walked to the door, peeked out, and opened it.

"Where's that girlfriend of yours, Wade?" Kim called, and I got up and ran to the entry hall.

"Merry Christmas, Wade," and I heard Kim kiss him on the cheek and walk in the door.

"Merry Christmas, Joss," and Kim hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, then looked at me quizzically.

"It's a very Merry Christmas, Kim: no more Christmas nightmares," and she grabbed me and hugged me real tight.

"Joss, I'm so happy for you," she said into my hair. "You deserve all of the happiness in the world."

"Does that mean I kin have **both** Ron and Wade, Cousin Kim?" I asked as she pulled back, and she was wearing Ron's 'serious face' when she looked at me:

"Jocelyn!" then she grinned. "Well, not all of the happiness; I'm allowed to have a little bit of happiness," she smiled and she waited for Ron to come in the door.

'She's way too happy! What's going on? You don't think…NAH!'

"Wade! Merry Christmas, my man!" and Ron grabbed Wade and hugged him (a manly hug), and he stepped in the door. Ron gave me a quick hug, and he and Kim headed into the living room, holding hands.

'He's normal…for Ron; that can't be it,' and before Wade could close the door the Tweebs came blasting into the living room: that told me that Uncle James and Aunt Anne were here, too, and that got me excited.

"Jocelyn," Aunt Anne was beautiful, as ever, and I had only seen her last night at the church, and I hadn't had a chance to thank her for her Montana trip.

"Aunt Anne!" I almost knocked her over with the hug. "THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU! I got a text from Jennifer, and she said that Fletch almost died last night, but that the operation that you did the night before stabilized him and helped save him when he coded yesterday!

"THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!"

"You're welcome, Jocelyn," Aunt Anne was so sweet and kind and nice. "As my daughter would say: 'No Big, Joss,'" and she laughed along with me.

"Doesn't the favorite uncle get a hug?' Uncle James was grinning like he'd just won the lotto, and I let Aunt Anne go and grabbed him and hugged him.

"Uncle James: no more Christmas nightmares," I whispered to him, and I heard a sound come from him, and I looked up.

Uncle James was crying!

"Jocelyn," he wiped his tears away with his coat sleeve, "That was the bestest Christmas present I ever got from you, darling," and he hugged me and kissed the top of my head.

"Let's go into the mob, Sweet Tea," and I looked up at him in horror.

"UNCLE JAMES! NOT YOU, TOO!" and I swatted but missed as he and Aunt Anne laughed and quick-walked, holding hands, into the living room for more hugs.

The chuckling from behind me reminded me that my Wade was back there, and I turned and glared.

"Middle Name, Wade," I promised sweetly, and he shut the door and walked quietly into the living room, holding my hand.

Kim and Ron got their Christmas hugs from everyone, including me.

A hug from Ron was always worth my time: what a hunk! I'm sure glad Kim finally got a clue about him, or I might have had to make a difficult decision….

-----

"We have an announcement to make," Daddy stood, but he was stopped by the doorbell.

DING-DING-DI-DING!

"Wonder who that could be," Rachel commented as Ryan went to the door, and Aunt Anne grinned broadly.

"May I help you, ma'am?" Ryan's voice came from the hall.

"I'm looking for my sons, and I was told they'd be here," the voice was calm, it was-

"NANA!" Kim and I both yelled, and I beat her to the door by two seconds, then got slammed into Nana by Jim and Tim, and we had a 'Nana sandwich, no peanut butter, thank you very much.

"Andrea Jocelyn! Kimberly Ann! James Timothy! Timothy James! Let go, and let your old 'Nana in the door before she freezes out here!" and we broke the hug, but Nana hugged me again and leaned over.

"No more nightmares?" she whispered, and I shook my head no. "I'm glad, Andrea Jocelyn. Your mother never wanted you to have to go thru Christmas like that.

"And, that Wade: he's a good man," and I looked up in surprise, and she smiled. "'Nana knows these things, Andrea Jocelyn, and I have my connections," and she took my hand and Kim's and Jim's and Tim's, and we all walked into the living room to-

"Momma!" and Daddy and Uncle Jim almost knocked each over getting to Nana, and she let us go to hug and kiss her sons.

"Nana Possible," Aunt Anne said when Nana let her sons go, and Nana and Aunt Anne hugged, then Nana sat next to Uncle James on the other side from Aunt Anne. Uncle James grinned.

"I guess you all know her," Ryan quipped, and Jim and Tim each tossed a pillow at Ryan, and neither connected as Ryan dodged.

"Like I said, we have an announcement to make," Daddy stood up again, and he looked over at Betty, who by now was grinning.

"Momma, Squirt, Anne: Betty has graciously agreed to become my wife and Sweet Tea's step-mother," and I said "NO!" and they all looked at me, and Betty paled.

"She'll never be my step-mother," I said quietly, and I stood and walked over to Daddy and Betty, and Betty looked like she was going to cry, and Wade looked at me confused, "because you are my new momma," I stated, and I held out my arms. "Momma2," I said loud enough for everyone to hear, and Betty stood up and hugged me, and Daddy hugged me, and we all cried like idiots, and even Nana got into the hug.

"But wait! There's more," Ron announced, just like one of those game show hosts on the TVTRASH channel, as we all stood there grinning, and Ron looked down and offered his hand to Kim, who by now was smiling just like Betty did before-

'OH, NO, THEY DIDN'T!'

"Kimberly Ann has blessed me by agreeing to become my wife," and I yelled:

"YEEEEE-HAW!" and ran and hugged Kim, pulling her glove off so I could go diamond-hunting, and I hit the mother lode.

"Kim, it's gorgeous!" I gushed, and I looked around at everyone else who was sitting and smiling, except Wade and me: Wade was trying to pry his way into our hug and made it, hugging both Kim and me.

"Y'all all knew?" and Ryan and Rachel both nodded.

"Nana, even you?"

"I got a call on PlanePhone, Andrea Jocelyn; and Kimberly Ann, I'm afraid I may have let the cat out of the bag," Nana grinned.

"Nana, how?"

"Well, dear, I bought the whole plane a round of drinks after we landed earlier this morning," she grinned.

"And, drinks let the cat out, how?" Kim looked worried.

"Well, dear, I may have mentioned who I was and why I was doing it," Nana grinned even bigger, and Kim groaned and ducked her head, and everyone else laughed.

"And, one of the men in the airport lounge told me to congratulate you, and he'd see you two in school when classes started," and Kim had a horrified look on her face.

"Relax, dear, it was only Steve," and Kim fell back onto a couch, buried her head into her hands and moaned, and Ron was right behind her beside her in head-burying and moaning.

"Steve Barkin?" I asked, and Nana nodded.

"Steve's an old friend of your father's, Andrea Jocelyn," Nana explained, and I decided I'd tell her later, privately, over a big hot chocolate at MoonNickel's, about Washington and the ANC.

"Betty, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you: let's see the ring and find out if my son was a cheapskate," Nana pronounced, and Betty held out her hand.

"Spankin'," Nana said after a quick look, and Betty laughed.

"So, that's where she gets it from, Mrs. Possible," Betty explained, and Nana shushed her.

"It's Momma, please," Nana corrected her, and Betty beamed.

"And, Wade?" Wade looked up, surprised.

"I understand you're coming into the family in a few years," and Wade looked real surprised for a moment.

"Yes, ma'am, after Jocelyn graduates from college, and if she'll still have me," Wade explained, and Nana just snorted!

"Call me, Wade, if she won't: I may still be in the market for a rich young stud," and I swore that Wade almost lost all coloration. It was quiet for a long time, it seemed, then-

"GOTCHA!" and Nana burst out laughing, and Wade started breathing again, followed by a host of others that hadn't yet figured out how to take Nana.

I knew, though, and I grinned.

"Kim," I smiled, and she looked up, " Sheldon's coming to Daddy and Betty's wedding," and Kim turned pasty white, then looked at Betty and Daddy who, by now, had lost all control and were 'bustin' a gut' laughing, and Kim got it.

"JOSS!" and I took off running just as Kim stood up, and I made it to Wade's room, palmed the lock, and got in and closed the door before Kim got there, and she banged on the door several times before it opened and Kim, Ron, and Wade all walked in and closed the door behind them.

"Gee, Kim, I like Ron, but don't you think it's a bit soon for all four of us?" I grinned, and Wade launched a dry spit-take, and Ron and Kim both sputtered.

"Wade," Kim finally said after everyone quit laughing, "I'm so happy to see you out of your room for Christmas; well, you know what I mean," and she and Wade laughed.

"Ron and I have a special present for you two, Wade, and we hope you'll both like it," and Kim handed an envelope to Wade, and Ron handed one to me.

I opened the envelope: it had a card inside.

I pulled the card out: it said 'Unlimited Training with Ron Stoppable,' and it was signed by him.

I looked at Wade, and he looked…well, probably like I did.

"Joss," Kim said, "I've had a lot of time to think about some of the things that I've learned about me and you and Wade and Ron, and Wade was right: you shouldn't go out without some good training. Ron's going to teach you what he knows about Tai Shing Pek Kwar, and I'm going to teach Wade some of my kung fu moves. Whatever helps you two, we're willing to do it.

"Besides," Kim continued to a slack-jawed Wade and me, "Ron and I will be preparing for college, and I have no idea what that's going to mean, so I'm being selfish and looking for some backup, as well.

"Interested?"

"Kim," Wade finally opened his mouth for words, but he had a grin on, as well.

'oh, no.'

"Kim," he repeated, and he shook his head as if clearing cobwebs out of his brain, "you're giving me license to put my hands anywhere on you?" and he grinned.

"If you think you can, big boy" and Kim smirked, "bring it on," but she also had a look that I don't think that Wade was ready for, because he gulped real big.

"Kim, you're gonna let me handle your boyfriend?" I asked, and she shook her head no.

"You'll be **training** with my **fiancée**, Joss, remember that," and she gave me the same smirk and look, and I knew why Wade gulped because I did the same.

"How soon can we start?" Wade asked. "The Bunker has the best training facilities with unlimited access, Kim," he added, and I nodded.

"How does a week from now sound? I think I can get away for a few days, and I think that we can steal a ride when Betty heads up to your house to see her fiancée, Wade," and Kim grinned as she looked at me, and I grinned, also.

"MOMMA2!" I yelled, and I hugged my cousin.

- - - - - - -

"Wade, your pictures are beautiful," Kim's smile lit up the room, and her smile made Wade's smile even bigger.

Wade had moved all of the pictures (his and mine) into his room and hung them, and Kim was staring at the picture of the two of us and Stephanie.

"Wade, she's beautiful; why you would even put me in the picture with her is beyond me, but I'm extremely flattered that I am."

"Kim, you two are my 'big sisters,' along with Monique, and Mom decided that I needed a picture of my first three redheads, so you're in it.

"Besides," he grinned, "I like looking at all three of you," and he wrapped his hand around my waist.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Wade," I said.

"For what?"

"Including me in that group," I replied.

"Well, it's 'Wade's Women,' Joss, so you'd have to be in it," Ron laughed, and Kim glared at him.

"RON!" and then decided that Ronshine was more important than yelling.

"I think your Mom captured both of you perfectly," Ron commented when he came up for air. "And, I feel like I know Stephanie just from the picture.

"Was she like what I think she was, Wade?"

"Ron: 'She never thought she was all that, but she was, and more,'" Wade replied with a catch in his voice, and I took his hand from around my waist and held it. "She liked it when I would read to her at night when she stayed over: I read an Economics book to her by John Kenneth Galbraith, and Milton."

"'Paradise Lost?'" Ron asked, and I was surprised that he would pick that book.

"Yes; how did you know?" Wade was surprised, as well.

"It's one of only a few books on your shelf over there, Wade," and Ron pointed, and Wade ran over and grabbed it.

"I thought she's taken it, Ron! I don't know how-" he stammered, then stopped and took a deep breath and continued, "I've looked in here, but it hasn't been in my room.

"Maybe Mom found it when she cleared out my room and Stephanie's," Wade smiled and opened the cover and then dropped the book like it was on fire.

He had a look on his face: surprise, horror, I'm not sure what, and then he burst into tears.

I picked up the book, and found a sealed letter in the front of it and something written on the front flap in a beautiful cursive handwriting, almost calligraphy:

"'To my Wade: be strong and brave, and you will defeat your demons…you are my hero.' signed Stephanie Watership."

I held the book in my hands and fought back the tears, but they won, and I took Wade's pro-offered hand.

"Wade, she knew you pretty well, huh?" and I handed him the book as if it was the most precious gift that he had ever received, and he took it and handed it back to Ron, tears streaming from both of them.

"Ron, would you?" Wade asked softly, and Ron carefully took the prize and placed it back on the shelf in the place of honor.

"What about the letter, Wade?" I asked, and he handed it to me and flipped it over so I could read the front.

'To Wade Load, on the occasion of his marriage to his redhead… signed Stephanie Watership.,' and that did it for me: I burst into tears, and Kim took the letter from me and cradled it to the shelf. She turned, and her face was wet, as well.

"Wade, someone was smarter than all of us, and she's not here in the flesh, but she will always be with you," Kim said as she took Wade's hands and kissed his forehead.

"Sorry, guy," she grinned through her tears, "but I'm not that redhead," and she took my hand and put it in Wade's hand.

"I've seen the two of you, and you're as much in love as Ron and me. I don't want you two to stumble and make the same stupid mistakes I did: I almost lost Ron because of my stubbornness and my inability to see the goodness in front of my face," Kim had almost a dreamy look being bracketed by her tears.

"Don't make the same mistakes we did, and don't move to the other stuff; we haven't," and I looked at Ron and he nodded agreement, "but I'm looking forward to it.

"Besides," and now Kim grinned wickedly, "there's a lot you can do when you get old enough, preferably 17 or 18, Joss, that you'll be able to enjoy a whole bunch!" and Ron nodded vigorously.

"You waited until you were 18, Kim?" Joss asked innocently, and Kim's red face condemned her, and Joss laughed.

"BUSTED!" I yelled and grinned.

Ron started humming and grinning, and Kim hit at him, but he kept humming and grinning.

Wade had a perplexed look on his face, then he recognized the tune and broke out laughing.

Kim grabbed a pillow from Wade's bed and started hitting at Ron: that only made him turn the humming into singing:

"Ron…exciting and new;

"Come aboard: he's expecting you," and I giggled as he took my hand;

"What's the tune, Wade?"

"'Wild Love Boat': it was on the 'TV almostTrashHeap' channel; a captain and his crew sail around on a cruise ship hooking other people up," he answered as Ron continued to sing:

"And, Ron: life's sweetest reward.

"Let him flow, he floats back to you," and now, I was chuckling as released my hand and he danced around the room being chased by Kim with a pillow WMD.

"The Ron-Man

"Soon will be making another run

"The Ron-Man

"Promises something for everyone," and Kim yelled,

"You'd better not be promising Ronshine to everyone!" and I laughed even more, now.

"Set a course for adventure,

"Your mind on a new romance," and Kim finally caught him and kissed him quiet for a moment, then he pulled back and started up again.

"Ron… won't hurt anymore

"He has an open smile on a friendly shore.

"Yes LOVE! It's LOVE!

"It's the Ron Boo-yah! Boo-yah!" and he closed with a flourish. By this time, Wade was laying on his bed, holding his stomach and laughing uncontrollably, and Kim had gotten was past mad and had fallen down, laughing, on the floor. I'd fallen back into Wade's chair and was holding my sides and laughing.

"When?" I asked Wade when we all finally stopped laughing; well, at least stopped laughing enough to talk.

"Right after Justine left: she gave him the idea, and he ran with it," Wade laughed as Kim hit him with another pillow, this time knocking him to the floor just as the door opened and Dad, Betty, Ryan, and Rachel stuck their heads in.

"What happened?" Slim asked, and Kim shouted:

"Don't encourage him!" I yelled, but it was too late: Ron started singing, again, this time on his back and from the floor.

- - - - - - -

The day after Christmas, I called Jen.

"Hey, Jen."

"Joss! Hey! Merry Christmas!" Jen sounds great!

"Merry Christmas to you, too. How you?"

"Joss, I've got a date!"

"'grats, Jen. Who?"

"Stephen Lopez from class, Joss. He's sooo cute, and I blew him off when he asked me last year 'cause I was drinkin' the Becky Kool-Aid, but that's stopped. I called him, apologized, and he's taking me to a movie!"

"Jen! That's spankin'! When are you two goin' out?"

"Later this week.

"Did you have a good one?" and I grinned sooooo big!

"Great, Jen: I got a new Momma-2-B for Christmas!"

Jen was quiet, then she yelled:

"YEEEEEE-HAW!

"Joss, that's great! Are you happy with her?"

"Jen: she's platinum!"

"I'm sooo happy!

"How about your man, Joss?" and I swear I could hear Jen's smile across the phone.

"Wonderful, Jen," I whispered. "My first Christmas with Wade was incredible," I repeated.

"Did he like his presents?"

"Yes, he did, Jen, and thanks for helping me on the book: I thought he was gonna lose it, for real," I grinned, and Jen laughed.

"You really love him, don't you, Joss?"

"He's my only, Jen," I replied, and Jen whistled long.

"WOW!" then I could hear her grin: "Sure I can't clone him, Joss?"

"NO!" then I grinned back.

"But, I do have good news, Jen: Ron and Kim are coming up at the end of the week," and she screamed:

"**RON STOPPABLE**!"

"But, bad news, Jen, and you can't tell anyone for a couple of days: Ron proposed to Kim, and she accepted."

"DARN! The good ones keep getting taken off the market!"

"What're you complaining about, Jen? Steven is a smokin' piece of meat."

"HEY! NO OGLEE MY BOYFRIEND!" Jen yelled, then she did the same thing that I did when I said that for the first time about Wade: "My boyfriend," she said softly, and there was a catch in her voice.

"Then, you'd better make sure you 'make it so,' Jen."

"Channeling the Commodore, Joss?" and she laughed.

"I almost forgot: Becky is back at the hospital today. Fletch told her to get over herself about Wade, and he wants to meet Wade and have him pass along his thanks to the head of Wade Logistics, as well. His parents do, too, Joss."

"When I come back, I'll be sure to stop by the hospital.

"Any more news about who beat him?"

"They caught one of the two besides Carl; he's trying to blame everything on Carl, but Carl already squealed like a stuck wild boar, and his confession matches what Fletch told the authorities."

"Good. Did you hear if it was drugs?"

"Girl, they had kilos of grass and crystal meth in the building: the police are calling it the biggest bust in the area, and the second biggest bust since the one this past summer.

Click.

'Hold on, Joss, someone's calling," and Jen clicked over, then came back in a moment. "Joss," she was grinning, and it came across the phone like beaming, "It's Stephen: he says that he can't stand to wait another day for me, and he wants to know if we can go to a movie tonight!"

"Bye, Jen," I grinned, and she called out a 'bye as she hung up.

I looked up. 'Thank you, Momma.'

- - - - - - -

**(Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esquire)**

'How could I be this lucky?'

I was holding Kim's hand as we walked thru the Middleton Airport, and lots of guys were looking at me with real jealous looks on their faces.

I didn't care: she picked me!

Kim turned her head and looked at me when I stopped in mid-stride, and she smiled.

That smile: oh, my, goodness, I could die happy after seeing only one of those smiles, and I've seen more than I could count since Christmas Eve.

"What is it, Ron?" and that voice: pure, soft, silky liquid diamonds….

"Just thinking, KP," and just as I spoke a little girl came running up to Kim and slammed into her legs.

"Kim Possible! Thank you!" the little girl was laughing and crying and hugging Kim at the same time.

'She still doesn't handle the fame well,' and I reached down and picked up the girl and held her at Kim's face level.

The little girl leaned forward and kissed Kim's cheek.

"Mommy was in Paris when the Diablos flew over, but they all shrank back and fell. Thank you, Kim: you saved my Mommy's life!"

I looked over Kim's shoulder and saw Jocelyn and Wade holding hands and smiling: Wade had told me what happened to him on the plane from DC.

"'No Big,'" Kim said, and a voice corrected her.

"No, Miss Possible, it was a real 'Big' for me," and a woman came up and took the little girl from my arms.

"My daughter saw those things grow and take flight right in front of her: it was her favorite toy from the restaurant, and she'd carried it across the pond to Paris. She thought that that thing had crushed me when it suddenly began to grow, and she got pushed away from me by that monster and then the running crowds.

"I almost lost my daughter," she said, holding her daughter tighter, tears starting to flow down her face, "and then the things started to shrink and fall from the sky."

"You truly saved the world, Kim: I know you saved mine. I found my daughter 30 minutes later, surrounded by a pile of Diablos that had fallen from the sky. She was trying to pull them apart, and hitting them against each other.

"I later found out that you had stopped them, Kim. Thank you," and both the daughter and mother mashed into Kim, and all three were crying.

"Thank you, Kim," the mother said when they separated.

"I wanna grow up to be just like you, Kim!" the little girl grabbed Kim's neck and hugged her, almost pulling her mother off-balance, and I caught her by the waist.

"What's her name?" Kim mouthed to her mother, and she responded, "Jessie."

"You need to grow up to be just like your Mommy, Jessie: that's what my mommy taught me to be. Your Mommy's the brave one, and she's the one who will help you grow up to be the best little girl you can be," and Jessie looked at Kim and nodded once, then slipped to the ground ran the three steps to her mother.

"Mommy, I want to grow up to be just like you, just like Kim did!" and the mother mouthed 'Thank you.'

"Ma'am, if you'll give me your name and address, I'll make sure that Kim gets autographs to you and your daughter," Wade said as he pulled out his PosComm.

"You're Dr. Load, aren't you?" she asked, and Wade nodded.

I'm very glad to finally meet you," she said, extending her hand. "I'm a member of the Middleton Police Department, and you've helped us so much over the past four years. Thank you," and she shook Wade's hand and handed him a business card.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like photos of all of you; yes, Ronald Dean Stoppable, even you," and she leaned over and kissed my cheek. I felt my face turning red.

"Thank you, Ronald, for everything you do in keeping Kim and the rest of us safe," she whispered to me.

"And, by the way," she pulled back and grinned, "congratulations, Ronald, for having the good sense to propose to Kim and for being lucky enough to have her accept your proposal. I knew you were smart, and you proved it to me by proposing to her," and this time KP blushed her hair-color when the woman reached over and kissed Kim's cheek.

"Be good to each other!" she yelled as she scooped up her daughter and headed towards the terminal exit doors.

"Well, Ron, looks like you got branded!" Jocelyn commented, then giggled.

I reached up and touched my cheek where the woman kissed me, then brought my hand down and looked at the red lipstick on it. Then, I looked at Kim and was shocked at what I saw:

Kim was standing there, hugging herself, rocking back and forth, and tears were pouring down her face.

"KP!" and I ran the few steps and grabbed her and held her while she sobbed a few moments, then calmed a bit and continued to cry, but not as much.

"KP, what's wrong?" I finally got her to look up at me, and those gorgeous green eyes looked so sad.

"Ron," and she started up again, and I held her tighter as she sobbed even harder, this time.

"I can't imagine what that woman went through when the Diablos took off and her daughter disappeared, and it was **all my fault**, Ron! I should have never have fallen for Eric, I should have seen through all of Drakken's plans, I should have listened to you earlier," and the tears tried to start, but I stopped her and took her face in my hands and whispered to her.

"KP: we went thru this, before.

"KP, the Diablos were **not your fault! **You did not create them, and you did not distribute them: I've told you this before, when you went into your funk right before school started this year. That lady just **thanked you** for **risking your life and saving her daughter**, Kimmie!

"Am I gonna have to bring out the 'serious face,' my bride-to-be?" I grinned. "Because, you know I will," I added, and the Kim light began to shine again.

"Ron, tell me again why I took so long to me to realize that I had fallen in love with you?" she purred as she leaned into me, and I tossed her a zinger.

"Because, you were jellin' over me and Justine?" and she stared at me, then chuckled and hugged me as she started to laugh.

I love her laugh.

I love her smiles.

I love the way she feels when I hold her.

"Somebody's happy, Ronnie," and she pulled herself tighter to me, and I suddenly realized what she meant, and I could feel my face turn as red as her hair.

I stepped back, quickly, and grinned sheepishly. "oops."

"Let's go, KP," I stammered, and I took her hand as she grinned evilly as she took my hand and squeezed it. "You do that to me, you know," I whispered, and she grinned even more.

"How do you know he's hap-OOOO," Joss asked, then got a huge grin on her face when she answered her own question. "Ronshine, extra-large," she laughed and she took Wade's hand, and they ran for the ramp.

"What's goin' on, Ron?" Slim asked as he and Betty came up behind us as we headed down the ramp to the commuter plane. I grinned because they were holding hands, and Betty was smiling bigger than I'd ever seen her smile in all the time I'd known her.

"Just a little 'hero-worship,' Slim, but it's ok now," I replied as Kim and I stepped onto the plane, and we were shocked by applause from the passengers and crew as we turned the corner and could be seen by the passengers who had early boarded.

"Hold on, KP," I whispered to Kim, and I licked her ear.

"RON!" Kim whisper-shouted, and the pilot saluted me and winked.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stoppable," she said as we walked past her.

"Thank you, ma'am, but you should be congratulating KP: I'm the lucky one," I replied as we took our seats up front. Wade, and his travel bookings: better than the pig-plane.

"You're a good man, and I'm sorry she got you, because I'd certainly take a chance on you," she leaned over and whispered loud enough for both KP and me to here, and I blushed, and Kim laughed as she put her arm around me.

"I'd go for her, myself," the flight attendant commented as he walked towards us; he winked at Kim, and she blushed. "You have great taste, Mr. Stoppable," he grinned as he walked past, and I blushed again and Kim grinned.

"Way to go, 'potential boy,'" Kim said as she snuggled up to me.

"Right back at you, 'princess,'" and Kim hit at me as I answered her in a Shego-esque response..

"Children, please!" came from Wade seating behind us. "Am I going to have to separate you two?"

"Only if I get to separate you two, too," Kim replied, and Wade suddenly got quiet, but I could her giggling and kissing going on behind me, and I didn't want to turn around to see if that was Wade and Joss, or Slim and Betty.

"Advanced snuggling?" I asked, and she nodded and got the 'look.'

I didn't complain about the training once during the entire flight: besides, we actually got to land in a plane rather than jump from it.

- - - - - - -

"Tornado! How's it hangin'?" I saw him when we got out of the cab at the ranch.

He was standing at the front of the corral. "Master Ronald: it hangs well. My circuits have noted your absence," he replied.

"I missed you, too, Tornado."

"Shall we, as you put it, 'get jiggy on the ground,' again, Master Ronald?" Tornado asked as he took 5 steps back and ran forward, jumping the fence and trotting up to me, lowering his head.

"There'll be two of us this time, Tor', old man."

"Ah, yes: Mistress Kimberly. Welcome back, as well: my circuits have noted your absence, as well."

Kim still looked tentative. "Uhhh…hello, Tornado," she replied, still not sure how to deal with a talking robot horse.

"Mistress Kimberly, allow me to congratulate you on your engagement to Master Ronald."

"How did you know, Tornado?" she was really surprised.

"I received a copy of the email with the announcement, Mistress Kimberly," he replied, and I grinned: Tornado has email….

- - - - - - -

"Mel!" Wade yelled, and a strikingly beautiful woman waved as we entered the Command Center.

Kim punched me in the ribs.

"WHAT?"

"Eyes front, 'potential boy.'" She grinned as the woman came walking over.

"They are, 'princess.'" I retorted as the woman stopped in front of us.

'Definitely not hero worship,' I thought as she pulled out a badge.

"Melisandretti Claremore, Montana DCI," she smiled, "Welcome 'home,' so to speak, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. I'm glad to finally meet you in the flesh," she added as she extended her hand.

"You can't be old enough to be in DCI, Melisandretti," and I kissed her hand. She blushed, but grinned.

"I've been warned about you, Ron-man," was her response, and Kim and Joss both giggled. "And, it's 'Mel' to my friends," she added.

"Besides, I believe that I'd be a fool to get between a husband-to-be and his wife-to-be, especially one who knows 16 different kinds of kung-fu," she smiled, and I was frightened for the criminals in Montana that ever faced Mel.

"Oh, Man! Does everybody know?" I asked, and Kim hooked her arm in mine.

"Just the people who hit your website," Wade responded, and I groaned.

"The babes won't flock to the Ron-man, anymore!" I whined, and Kim elbowed me in the ribs.

"And you have a problem with that, why?" she purred into my ear, then nibbled it.

"No reason at all, my beloved: no reason at all," was my response.

"Right answer," was Kim's response, and she licked the ear she nibbled.

'Oh, man….'

"Kim, I'd like some time with you and Ron to discuss some matters," Mel was fidgeting. "That, and I need a favor," and she looked embarrassed.

"It would be different if it was my kids, but my boss' boss and her boss want some autographed pictures of the three of you and some individual shots, as well," and she blushed.

"No Big," Kim answered. "Who's getting them?" and Mel blushed even bigger.

"My boss' boss is the Director of DCI," she began, and Kim grinned and completed the sentence:

"And her boss is the Montana AG, correct?" and Mel nodded.

"Not a problem: we get that a lot," and Kim and Mel both giggled.

Now I understood Wade's fascination with Joss' giggles:

I loved Kim's giggle.

- - - - - - -

Then, the day came that I dreaded: not because I was scared of Jocelyn, but because I didn't want to hurt her: physically, emotionally, or psychologically. If I had thought about it more than just a moment or two, I should have been the one worried….

I walked into one of the underground padded workout rooms in the Bunker/Command Center and proceeded to warm up for several minutes, mainly light running and centering myself.

The door opened, and Joss came in wearing a white gi and soft shoes and carrying a tote bag. She had a huge smile on her face.

'Wade,' I thought, 'you're a very lucky man. Jocelyn's a very lovely young lady; but, then again, she's a Possible woman, and we know what they do to us poor mortal men,' I chuckled inside as Joss put her bag down and unzipped it, removing her rope wrist clip and two ropes from the bag and clipping the wrist clip on..

"Joss, I don't think you're going to need those today."

"Au contraire, Ron: I'm packin' jus' like I was goin' on a mission, and I always come prepared," was her response.

"You passed the first test, then, Jocelyn," I replied as I pulled back my gi sleeve and revealed the same clip. "If you had not brought it, you would have shown that you were not prepared for all 'possibilities,'" I smiled as I removed my clip and motioned for her to do the same.

"Do'i, Ron: 'Check my name,'" and she removed her clip as she smiled, never taking her eyes off of me.

"I'm here to show you some basic moves from Tai Shing Pek Kwar, or Monkey Kung Fu. Have you completed the study that I requested that you do, Jocelyn?" and as I spoke I sat cross-legged on the floor, and she sat in front of me in the same position.

"I have, Ron," and she seemed to clear her mind, because her face became almost completely expressionless (something I thought I'd never see with Jocelyn), and she then began to speak:

"The history of Ta Sheng Men, or Monkey kung fu begins at the turn of the century, near the end of the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911), when a short-tempered fighter from Northern China named Kou Sze was arrested for killing a villainous villager. A close and influential friend managed to bribe the presiding judge to reduce Kou Sze's sentence to only eight year in prison.

"From his cell, Kou Sze spent hours each day observing chattering monkeys in their natural habitat. He carefully studied their behavior in different situations and, after a few years, was able to distinguish the different characteristics of individual monkeys.

"After categorizing each of the monkey's fighting techniques, flexibility, and footwork, Kou Sze realized that these actions were compatible with the Tei Tong style of kung fu he had learned from childhood. Kou Sze then combined these movements of the Tei Tong with the monkey movements and, through careful study of the monkey and combining the monkey's maneuvering principles, Kou Sze was able to break down all of the monkeys' reactions and categorize them into five different personality types, thereby creating the five forms of the monkey:  
The Tall Monkey  
The Wooden Monkey  
The Lost Monkey  
The Stone Monkey  
The Drunken Monkey

"The most important thing to understand is that Tai Shing and Pek Kwar are not the same art. Pek Kwar has nothing to do with Monkey whatsoever. It doesn't look like Ta Sheng, it doesn't share any of the techniques in Ta Sheng, it's an entirely different art altogether. Pek Kwar is an axe fist art, while Ta Sheng is the Monkey art, which is a combination of Monkey movements and Tei Tong Kung Fu. Grandmaster Kou Sze founded Monkey (Ta Sheng Men) and Grandmaster Ma Chi Ho created Pek Kwar. Grandmaster Ken Tak Hoi was a master of both, he taught both, and he put the names together as Tai Shing Pek Kwar. However, because he only wanted certain individuals to learn Ta Sheng, he required them to first master Pek Kwar: that's why Monkey Kung Fu is called Tai Shing Pek Kwar, but these are both entirely different and complete arts in themselves.

"How was that, Ron?" and I sat there, stunned: Jocelyn had told me things that even I had not known about Tai Shing Pek Kwar.

"It helps to have a supergenius as a fiancée, Ron," and she grinned. "Wade did a lot of research on the basic information that you gave me, and I did some digging on my own. I even found a copy of the movie 'Mad Monkey Kung Fu;' it'll be here next week."

"So, you understand the need for flexibility and the low center of gravity in "Drunken Monkey," for example, while it's physical strength that is required in "Stone Monkey."

"Yes, Ron, I understand, but only as one who has read but not practiced the art," and Jocelyn had gone from the giggling young teen to a serious student.

"It would seem to me that "Drunken Monkey," "Lost Monkey," and "Wooden Monkey" are likely the forms that would be best suited to me, given my height and size and ankle flexibility. All of these things have helped me in my cheerleading studies.

"Have I presumed too much, GrandMaster?"

"I am not a GrandMaster by any means, Jocelyn," she had done her studying! "I know all of the forms of the art, but only by the transference, not from practice. I've been forced to learn how to use the knowledge that has been placed within me; unfortunately, as you know," and I grinned, "sometimes that's been somewhat painful.

"Lord Montgomery Fiske wanted to bypass the work and believed that, by killing me," and she looked surprised, "that the power would automatically transfer to him. Unfortunately for him, Rufus also absorbed the power, and also became the first Naked Mole Rat Grandmaster," and Rufus came out in a tiny gi and bowed to Jocelyn. That created a long giggling session from Jocelyn:

"Ron, isn't a naked mole rat in a gi seemed like an oxymoron?" and Rufus said "HEY!" then grinned, bowed again to her and gave her a thumbs up.

"I am impressed, Jocelyn: you have taken your studies seriously, but are you ready to see them in action?" and I levitated a few feet up, then stood.

That got her attention, especially when Rufus did the same and landed on my shoulder.

She then stood and took a typical stance, and I took her legs out from under her with a tumble and swoop, and she landed on her rear with an "OOF!"

"Hey, I wasn't ready!" she complained as she stood and rubbed her rear.

She went back down again, this time taken down by Rufus. He then stood next to her face and kissed her forehead.

"OOO, Mole Rat Cooties!"

"HEY!"

She jumped back up again quickly and more warily, and then she dodged my move.

"HA!" she yelled, and I pointed at her sleeves and the front of her gi.

She looked down, and saw 3 banana stickers on each sleeve and four on the front of her gi.

"Sooo, we're monkeying around, are we," she asked as she took a stance.

"No, just wanting you to enjoy the fruits of my labor," and she was on her back and I was on top of her. I kissed her forehead and jumped back up.

This went on for another 15-20 minutes, and I let her have a couple of shots at me that connected, then taking her down.

"You let me connect that time, didn't you, Ron?" She said as she stood, again, rubbing her neck this time. I rubbed my forearm: she had connected solidly, but she left an opening, and she paid the price for it.

"Yes, but I drew you in, and you saw the results, didn't you?"

"Oh, man," she groused, then looked up and smiled

"But, can you do this?" and with one motion she tumbled back to her bag, grabbed one of her ropes, jumped forward and waved it at me with a "CRACK!"

I suddenly felt a breeze, and I looked down to see the gi belt hanging to each side, and my gi was open to the world.

"Oh, man!" and I reached back for my bag and found nothing. A whistle, and I looked back at Jocelyn: she was holding my bag at the end of her rope.

"Ah've been practicin', too, Ron, jus' with my whips," she grinned.

"Is that something that Wade's gonna like, Jocelyn," and she turned super-beet red.

"RON!"

I whistled, and my bag came back to me and changed back into the blade.

"WOW, Ron, is that what I think it is?"

"The Lotus Blade?

"Yes," I replied, and I turned it back into the bag and placed my sliced gi belt in it, pulling out another one and tying it on. "Can't very well carry a sword on a plane, can we?" and I grinned.

"Guess not."

"So, you understand how serious the training is going to be, Joss? I was concerned at first that you wouldn't, but you've convinced me that you will take it seriously, if your preparatory work is any indication."

"Yes, Ron, I understand. I hope I never have to use it, but I know that I will be better prepared if I understand and know how to use it," she replied, and then she smiled an excited smile.

"Hey, Ron?" she asked. "Before we do more, do you wanna see something real special?"

"Sure, Jocelyn. What is it?"

"It's my rack," and she grinned real big, "and I'm **real** proud of it,"

"…eep…" I could feel my face turning red, and Joss realized what she said:

"NOT THAT RACK, RON!" she looked shocked for a moment, then grinned, then looked sad and depressed. "Geez, I'd think that with Kim's great body, you'd not even be concerned with littl' ol' me," she said very softly, almost apologetically.

"Jocelyn, look at me," and she looked up at me with the beginnings of a puppy-dog-pout that had a lip-quivering motion attached. 'Wade, you're doomed,' I thought. "I remember when you told me that you thought I was a hero: I was flying high for a long time after that, Joss, because a pretty girl thought that of me," and she looked quizzical. "Seriously, Joss, you're a very pretty young lady. If I wasn't engaged to your cousin and you were just a little bit older, I'd have to watch myself with you or I could get in real serious trouble," and she looked surprised and happy.

"Really, Ron?" She asked. "You'd have even considered going out with me?" she sounded excited.

"Of course, my lovely Jocelyn; remember, though, that your uncle would be coming after me with more deep space probes than I could count if I ever touched you in any way "possible," and your Dad would only get the scraps," and I shuddered inside at the thought of two Possible fathers coming after me….

"Gee, thanks, Ron," and she hugged me, then she looked up and got 'the look,' and kissed my cheek, then blushed and backed up.

"Thank you, Ron," she repeated, "that's one of the nicest things that anyone's ever said to me," she smiled.

It was almost a KP smile.

I felt sorry and happy for Wade: happy for him for what he was going through, and sorry for him for what he was going through.

I reached down and picked up my bag. "So, Joss, where's your rack?"

"Right here, big boy," she purred as she pushed her chest out, then laughed as I turned red, again.

"Red's not your color, Ron," she giggled as we headed out of the room.

"And, chocolate's yours, Joss?" I shot back, and she guffawed as we walked down a hall.

I was in trouble: I just didn't know it at the time….

- - - - - - -

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

"Gee, Kim, what are you worried about?"

"You, mister, trying to cop a peek," Kim replied as she came from behind a screen after adjusting her gi.

She was glorious in white; of course, she was glorious in anything she wore, or didn't wear, and I grinned.

"WADE!" she snapped me back to reality as she took a karate stance.

I must have looked like an idiot: short, losing weight but still nowhere near the shape I needed to be in to be facing Kim Possible, never having done this except in holos.

I began the Salute:

"I present myself;

"This is my style - Kenpo Karate;

"I pray that we do not have to fight;

"I will try to see the good in you;

"I have no weapons; my hands are empty;

"But if I have to fight you, I will tear you apart and defeat you."

"Nice start, Wade, but you didn't get the Salute correct; besides, you said in your salute that you do have weapons," and she took me to the ground with one jump kick, and I landed flat on my back with an "OOF!"

My rear hurt.

"That's one," Kim announced.

I got up, and she took me down immediately with a leg sweep.

"That's two," she counted.

"Counting coup, Kim? You're not Native American," I said from the floor.

I had a lot more empathy for Shego than I thought I could ever have as I stood, again, and went down again with a kick to my body. I fell flat, and Kim jumped on me and straddled my body.

"That's three.

"Like it, Wade?" she purred, then laughed when I groaned in pain.

"I'd like it a lot more if I didn't hurt all over, Kim," and she gave my cheek a quick kiss, then bounded back up with a backflip and landed in her classic pose, one hand touching the floor with the fingertips and balancing with the other, staring directly at me with a grin.

"You wanted a piece of me, Wade, so here I am," and this went on for several more minutes, most of them with me on my back and Kim straddling me and her adding another number to the count of the kinds of kung-fu that she had used on me.

Normally, Kim straddling me would have been my 'dream come true,' but it wasn't when the woman was hurting me a great deal and she was the only one enjoying it. I landed, this time on my face, and Kim said "that's 16," as she leaned back against the wall.

I finally got up (my nose hurt even more than my pride) and I decided to take a shot: I charged her. She looked at me like I was crazy and just stood there, motionless, expecting to dodge and have me slam into the wall.

'Wrong move, princess,' and I reached behind me, grabbed it, and threw it at her sleeve, and it stuck in her left upper sleeve and deep into the wall with a THWICK.

"That's one, Kim," I started my own counter She looked at me in shock and surprise, then turned and looked at her sleeve, now nailed to the wall with a throwing knife.

Another THWICK, and the knife in her sleeve now had a companion that held her left leg to the wall.

"That's two, Kim," I continued my own counter.

"I didn't make a mistake in my salute, Kim; I told the truth," and I walked over to her, staying out of arm's reach as she struggled unsuccessfully to pull the blades from the wall.

"Where did these come from, Wade?" she growled and grinned at the same time, still pulling at the knives.

"I had to level the playing field, Kim, and I knew you would be so confident that you'd not check me for any surprises."

And, as she struggled, I darted into her space and brushed her lips with mine.

"WADE! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" and I pulled the knife from her sleeve and handed it to her, spreading my handed open, showing myself to be totally defenseless.

"You can kill me know, Kim: I've had my dream come true, and I'm ready to go: I kissed Kim Possible, and she didn't fight back," I grinned as I pulled the other knife out and handed it to her, as well.

"Kim, do you know how long I dreamed of doing that? After I started working with you, after Stephanie died, I thought you were cute, but I knew nothing could happen between us. When I started really liking you, Kim, I made you the battlesuit, but that wasn't the same as this kiss.

"I love Jocelyn, but I've always wanted to kiss you, just once, when I was in control," and I lost a tear from my right eye. "You were the big sister, but more times than not you invaded my dreams, and those dreams weren't fit for the Elephant Channel, Kim.

"Lucky for me, Jocelyn came along, and now my dreams are "pointing" another direction, Kim," and she blushed a real deep red: that gave her the strength to step from the wall and stare at me.

'She's really going to do it,' I thought, and readied my young body for the afterlife. 'I love you, Andrea Jocelyn Possible, and I'll wait for you. I'm coming, Stephanie,' I called out mentally, and then I was surprised.

She didn't kill me.

Kim smiled sadly and hugged me tight.

'Oh, man, that is not what I expected to happen.

'She has more than Jocelyn, but they're just as firm.

'BAD WADE!

'WHAM!

'Oh, this is sooo good.

'BAD WADE!

'WHAM!'

Kim stepped back and smiled and looked down at me.

"Somebody liked that hug a little too much, Wade," she smirked, and I was glad she couldn't see my blush.

"You're blushing, Wade: it's in your eyes; you don't think I've not been able to read you after all these years?"

"oops."

"Word up, bro.

"Now, since you've ripped my gi, you have to tell me how you learned to throw so well," she said as she wrapped her arm around me.

Oh, that felt sooo good….

"Oh, by the way, Wade?" she whipped me around to stare at my face, still smiling but with a more frightening smile now.

"No more surprises, Wade, OK?" and she got 'the look' and KISSED ME ON THE LIPS!

KIM POSSIBLE KISSED ME ON THE LIPS!

I HAD DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN, AND STEPHANIE WAS THERE WITH THE REST OF THE POSSIBLE WOMEN ANGELS: MRS. DR. P, BETTY, KIM, AND JOSS!

I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I was glad I had fallen, because I didn't think my legs worked, anymore.

KIM POSSIBLE KISSED ME, AND I DIDN'T FORCE HER!

It was just a bit more than a brush, and there definitely was no tongue, but-

KIM POSSIBLE KISSED ME ON THE LIPS! And, then, I had an epiphany:

OhMyGod, Ron was going to kill me!

I looked up at a smiling Kim, and she stuck out her hand and pulled me to my feet.

"You just figured out that Ron could hurt you a whole lot more than I ever could, didn't you?" and I nodded.

"Good: let that thought be your friend when you're working on that next battle suit for me, Wade," and she grinned as she walked to the door and opened it, and I gulped.

She stopped with the door halfway open, and I could hear voices walking past. I thought one was Joss, but I couldn't tell.

Kim, on the other hand, had balled her hands into fists.

Someone was in trouble, and I was glad it wasn't me.

She stood there until she heard the elevator door close, and she pulled me out into the hall towards the elevators. She called for an elevator, and held it open while we stood there, waiting for something.

She saw one elevator stop on the second level, and she pulled me into the elevator and slammed her hand into the "2" button, and she paced as the elevator rose and finally opened to the second level. She stuck her head out, heard a door close, then pulled me out and down the hall to my office door and stood outside of the partially closed door.

I could hear Ron and Joss inside.

"Joss: that's an incredible, badical rack, girl!""

There was more shuffling of papers and cloth, and then I heard Ron say, "Joss! They're so… big!"

"Yeah, well… I like 'em that way." I was grinning because I knew what Joss was talking about, but I could read Kim as she heard Joss smiling as she spoke. Kim had to be thinking, 'They're not talking about…? Ron, don't you dare ask if you can…'

"Can I… touch them?" Ron asked.

"Sure. Just be careful of the tips, though, Ron: they're hard, but they're delicate."

There was a pause and again the sounds of shuffling. Kim stood there, getting redder by the moment and not at all ashamed that she was listening in on what she thought was obviously a private moment between her Ron and my Jocelyn.

'She thinks that Ron is feeling up Joss!' and I could see her jellin' mind sink into her gut and head back up to her brain.

"Wow! Are these all…?"

"Not so rough there, Ron." Joss said with a bit of trepidation in her voice. "They're all me."

"Sorry… They just gotta be fake. I mean… they're so…beautiful…."

"Nope," Joss said again, and Kim was hearing the smile in Joss' voice again. "All mine."

Something snapped in Kim, and she spun me around to face her and she went for her gi belt.

"What's good for the goose, Ron," I heard Kim mutter softly.

"Kim? What are you …" and she dropped the gi belt, and I panicked:

"KIM, NO!" I shouted, hoping that Ron and Joss would hear before-

Kim opened her gi top wide, and I thought I saw Heaven before I passed out.

- - - - - - -

Later, I watched the security films, and I had fresh popcorn and a large, diet Slurpster as I sat back and relaxed:

Ron and Joss came thru the door just as Kim opened her gi, revealing her bra-covered top, and Ron stood there watching her back and watching me lose vertical with a smile on my face, and Joss just looked shocked as she watch me fall straight back in a dead faint.

"KP? What are you doing?" and Kim whirled around at the sound of Ron's voice and faced him, still holding the hems of her gi.

Ron was holding Joss' mounted deer horns in front of him, and he was stroking the tips gently, making sure that he didn't break the fragile tips.

Joss was standing there, fully clothed in her gi.

Kim was standing there staring at Ron and Joss, and she looked like she had been assaulted by a mob of embarrassment ninjas: she was the most red-faced that I had ever seen her, standing with her gi open in front of her fiancée and her cousin.

"Ron, I … I thought…."

"KP? Joss was just showing me her mounted deer rack here. Aren't these horns cool?"

"Cousin Kim? Why are you flashing my fiancée? I haven't flashed yours… yet," Joss grinned, reached for the belt of her gi, and started to loosen it.

Ron fainted. As he went down, the deer rack went flying.

"Don't drop mah rack, guy," she said as she caught it from Ron's flailing hands. "Seriously."

Kim and Joss looked at both of their fiancées: one official, and one official in everything but the ring, and both flat on their backs passed out with grins on their faces.

"Men," Joss said finally.

"Amen, sister," Kim responded.

"Ice cream?"

"Strawberry or chocolate?" Kim grinned.

"Chocolate for me, of course, cousin," Joss replied, and they stepped over the bodies on their way to the elevator.

"And, maybe you can tell me why you gave mah Wade an R-rated flash, Cuz," Joss stated as she called the elevator.

"I'm thinking I want some chocolate, too, Joss," Kim commented as the elevator door opened and they stepped in.

"CUZ! NO CHOCOLATE FORYOU!" and the door closed to laughter.

"Wade, my man, you are one lucky dog," Ron said over my shoulder.

"Besides the obvious reason, Ron, why?" I turned, and he was stroking Joss' deer rack in my office.

"She's a deadly weapon in sooo many ways, Wade, not the least of which is that whip she uses."

"Lucky for me, she's only demonstrated it on me once: she sliced my leather belt into four pieces in seconds, and I didn't see her moves until I ran the recording in super-slow-motion," and we went on discussing the Possible women in our lives….

- - - - - - -

"But, I'll tell you one thing, Ron: I'm so sore, I think my bruises are bruised with bruises."

"Did she count, Wade?"

"Yea, what's up with that?"

"She did that to me the first time we sparred: it's her way to destabilize you by showing you that she does actually know 16 different kinds of Kung Fu.

"Well, my body knows 18 different kinds of pain," I said, rubbing my right forearm after Kung Fu number 11 landed several kicks on that arm.

"Ron?" Kim stuck her head into my office, and she looked real embarrassed.

"Yes, my KP?"

'Damn, he's smooth.'

"Ron, I'm…I'm…I'm real sorry for making a fool of myself today.

"Will you forgive me?"

"Of course, KP: we're golden," Ron replied.

"Can I make it up to you?" she purred as she moved oh so sexily over to Ron, and leaned her head against his shoulder, looking up with him with the secret weapon. PDP IN THE HOLD!

"Oh, I think you can, KP," he replied with the 'Ron grin;' it was almost as persuasive as the PDP, and he leaned down and kissed her nose.

"Wade, we'll see you in the morning," and Ron's voice faded as they left my office and closed the door, and there was giggling coming from outside.

I heard them walk away, and then I opened the right bottom file drawer in my desk and pulled out a folder that I'd brought up months ago from home.

It had a single word at the folder label tab:

Retribution.

I thumbed the lock, and my print opened the sealed folder and revealed a DVD. I slid it into the slot in the desk and entered the password when prompted.

There was another knock at the door.

"Come on in, Mel," and I shut down the connection between my desk unit and the wall monitor, and Joss came walking in.

If you could call it that, with what she was wearing…the therapist had arrived, and my muscles ached in anticipation (and from the beating they took). She was carrying a bag with bottles sticking out of it, but I only noticed them because of what they were next to:

She wore a pair of tight, black, tight jean shorts (did I mention that they were tight?) that I knew Slim had never seen: otherwise, he would have burned them and sent the ashes into space. What it did for her legs….I grabbed my chest out of self-preservation: I sure didn't want to grab anything else of mine! Her legs were glorious, her calves were glorious, and her thighs were glorious…

She had on the workout slippers that she had worn earlier today: she even make those look good!

I moved up, and I smiled, both inside and out.

Her sweatshirt was so form-fitting that it made **me** sweat: it was oh, so tight (and I so wanted to **be** that sweatshirt!).

No curve on her body was left untouched.

Her hair was tied in a ponytail that draped over her shoulder: lucky shoulder.

oh. man…

oh, my, goodness, Joss was wearing just a hint of lipstick (and I mentally licked my lips in antici…pation!), and…I took a deep breath and fell in love all over again:

Joss was wearing perfume!

It was glorious.

It was Obsessed! for Young Women….

oh, man…

"Hey, Wade," was her sultry greeting as she poured herself over to me and kissed me.

Her lips tasted of strawberries, both her and the lipstick.

I touched her lips with my tongue, and she touched my tongue with hers with just a flit that disappeared almost before it had happened.

That was more than we had ever done before, and we knew to stop then because we didn't think we could stop if we kept going; well, I wasn't sure about me, anyway….

She hugged me even tighter

She felt sooo good.

It hurt sooo good.

ow…Ow…OW….and I physically winced.

"Wade! Are you hurt?" She pulled back and looked into my soul with her blue eyes. She knew I was hurting, and I knew that she was there to help.

"Just a bit: I got all 16 from Kim," I told her, and she grimaced: she knew what I meant.

I winced as I sat back down: it hurt to stand; it hurt to sit; it just hurt all over.

She sat in my lap and put my hand on top of her shorts, and moved it off of and onto the material. I had died and gone to Heaven, again: two Possible women this close to me made today a day I'd never forget, for as long as I lived, and after.

"Someone likes that," she purred.

"Do you need a rub, Wade? I can get those knots out, you know," she smiled, and I grinned, and she processed her words…

"A back Rub, Mr. Naughty Mind," she grinned and claimed the title of Miss Naughty Mind with that look.

Ron was right: I was in serious trouble for the rest of my life.

"Uh….sure, Joss: where?"

"I reserved one of the therapy rooms on 4 below, Wade," and she took my hand and pulled me up and out of my office and to the elevator door.

"I know you'll feel better after this rub, Wade," she stated as the door opened.

"I know I will," she added with a giggle as we stepped in.

I loved her giggle.

"And, I still love strawberries," and I grabbed her glorious bottom and pinched, ever so lovingly.

She yelped as the door closed, and I grinned.

- - - - - - -

I woke up the next morning to Stephanie's music, and I looked over for Lucky, but he wasn't there…

I wasn't at home: I was at the ranch.

I raised my head, and my neck ached, but nowhere near as much as it had before I went to bed. I hadn't slept this well in months, then I remembered why….

Joss had massaged all of the knots and sore muscles for almost two hours (get your minds out of the gutter: it was all PG…well, except for my thoughts, but that's not important….), and I almost couldn't get off the table. Joss helped me out of the bunker and back to my room, and she helped me get my shirt off (yes, she saw me shirtless: she'd seen that before at the pool, so no comments, please!). She kissed me good night, and she left before I changed into my PJs (with a great deal of pain!) and fell, exhausted, into bed.

I hated that alarm that I built into the PosComm. The time display said 6:50 AM MST.

I rolled over, and I shouldn't have: the muscles all complained, but nowhere near what they were doing last night.

There was a light rapping at my door, and I swore off the Poe puns and said "come in," and there was my angel, again, but she looked disgustingly happy and filled of energy (or full of something, I suspected…but that's not important….), and Joss in a workout outfit looking like that was soooo not fair.

"Mornin,' Wade! Ready for more?"

I barely got the pillow off the bed to throw it at her, and she laughed as it landed at my feet, not even making it off the bed.

"Why?" I groaned.

"Remember, Wade, we've got 6 more days of this before Kim and Ron have to go back to school," and I wished I had the Tempus Simia to move forward and avoid what was coming the next 6 days.

'oh, man….'

- - - - - - -

By day three, I wasn't as sore, but Joss was after this workout with Ron, so I got to return the favor with a two-hour rub.

I wanted to be her muscle knots, just so I could be that much closer to her..

She went to bed, and I went and stood in an ice-water cold shower for 30 minutes.

Kim was a tough and firm but fair teacher: she'd gotten over the soccer coaching fiasco and was really helping me along. I now understood the reason for the stretching and why she and Joss had such an easier time than Ron and I: cheerleading and dance and gymnastics, once again, come to the rescue for the ladies.

The really interesting discussion came on day 5:

We were taking a break in the afternoon when Kim finally asked me why I had the throwing knives.

"Three reasons, Kim:

"The throwing knives allow me to be able to do some damage while also being threatening enough.

"There are too many guns out there with African-American males, and I could also be a guaranteed target if I pulled a gun, no matter who the officers were,

"Most importantly, Kim, I'm not carrying a rifle or a pistol: it scares me too much to do that, not because of the weapon, but because of what I'd do, which is go after Stephanie's killers."

Kim looked at me with those big green pools, and a single tear snuck out of her right eye,

"Wade, I didn't know that you hurt that much," and she took my hands in hers.

"Kim, the same thing will happen if someone really hurts you. The only difference is that Ron won't leave any parts for me to hurt, because there won't be any parts left," I told her, and she smiled through her tear.

"Same back at'ya, Wade: anyone hurts you, they answer to me," she replied.

"Assuming Joss leaves you any parts bigger than a drop to find, Kim," I replied, and she smiled.

Then, I honked her kneecap and jumped up.

"Oh, you are so going down, Doctor," she growled and smiled.

"Bring it, big sis," and I gave her three fingers.

"Oooo, three fingers," and she charged me and put me on my butt in under 3 seconds.

"That's seven, Wade," she grinned as she pulled me up. "You're getting better: you were at seven before lunch yesterday," and we went back at it.

- - - - - - -

**(Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esquire)**

KP and I went over to the Command Center the sixth day that we were there to see Mel, sign some pictures for her, and find out just what she wanted to talk to us about.

After we signed the pictures (KP, me, and Wade), much to the delight of Jocelyn and Agents Carlos and Casey (I almost envied Jocelyn: being that young and that happy and energetic all the time: I was old, and I didn't have that much energy now that I was 18), we went into one of the conference rooms. Wade scanned for bugs, and then we (including Jocelyn) sat down and began after getting a coffee or hot chocolate.

"Kim, Ron, have you ever encountered any of your supervillians with drug cartel contacts?"

"We haven't seen anything like that, Mel," Kim replied. "Ron, do you remember anything?"

"No, KP: other than the moodulators," and I grinned, "we haven't run across anything that came close to, or even resembled, mind-altering drugs; well, except for the meat cakes."

"RON!"

I have no idea why meat cakes vex me so….

"Why do you ask, Mel?"

"There's entirely too much product flowing south from Canada to have it be one of our regular players, and Canadian Drug Operations Group/Enforcement has no idea who it is. Joe suggested that we talk to you about it."

"How is Joe?" Kim lit up when Mel mentioned her mentor that she fought with all the time until the chips were down with Drakken and the Great Lakes….

"He's fine, Kim: he wanted to see you himself, but he got caught in another case."

"The reason that we think that there's so much money involved is because we keep catching them, and the physical amount of product has never been larger or more varied: if you can get stoned or high or down or anything else, it's coming, and we've collected a bunch of it.

"We've also found large weapons caches, and these aren't the typical mountain men stockpiles: C4, .50 caliber long rifles by the score, detonators, and even some BC materials, but that's not for public consumption: the amount were so small that they had to be transport tests: nothing could have happened if any of them had been released.

"Wade, here," and she looked at him, and Jocelyn was positively beaming, "has provided us with so much good intelligence that we've been forced to share," and Mel grinned evilly. "Idaho and Wyoming and North Dakota are extremely happy and envious: they want to know our sources, and we won't tell them!

"The other reason that Wade and Jocelyn are so 'happy' that you two came up to train them is that we won't let them participate in any activities associated with raids until they've passed training to your approval," and Kim and I looked at each other, surprised: we didn't know anything about this!

"WADE!"

"JOCELYN!'

"oops," came out of both of their mouths.

"We've got a few more years, Kim, before we participate in active raids: we're not doing anything until we get older; we just want to sit in the vans during a raid and see the bag guys be taken away," was Jocelyn's answer.

Wade just smiled.

"We're concentrating on the S&R to start, Kim: that's always been the plan. You never know, however, what you're gonna run into at any time, so it's best to be prepared, don't you think?" and she just stared at him.

"Wade," she smiled.

I knew that smile: boy, was he in trouble!

"Wade," she repeated, and he obviously knew the smile, as well, because he gulped, "you get my cousin hurt, and I'm putting you in a probe myself," and she stared at him for a few moments to make sure that her message came across and was received.

"No issues, Kim. Slim's already on board, and he agrees with you and me: that's why we're starting with S&R up here: there's a need with the ranchers and the mountain climbers in winter, and the authorities need our help."

"Good, because I'd hate to have to explain to Ryan and Rachel why you have a space probe stuck up your-"

"KIM!" came from Jocelyn, and she had a big grin on her face. "I didn't know you were into that: how about whips?" and an evil grin crossed Jocelyn's face.

"JOSS!"

I was watching Mel out of the corner of my eye: she was trying unsuccessfully to keep smile off of her face, but the last comment was to much, and she burst out laughing.

Everyone turned and stared at her.

When she finally was able to stop, she looked at all of us.

"And, how long have you four been married to each other?" she laughed. "You sound like two old married couples, 15-20 years strong.

"I feel sorry for the bad guys, Kim, if all four of you ever totally hook up: there'll be hell to pay, and you'll all be having too much fun taking them all down to care what they think.

"Actually, you all sound like my husband and I when we have 'lively discussions,' but we have a great making-up plan," Mel smiled.

"We do, too, Mel," I replied, and Kim glared at me for a second, then laughed.

"Yea, I kinda like it, too," Kim added, and she leaned over and kissed me.

"Works for me," Joss added, and she leaned over and kissed Wade.

Wade had no complaints.

- - - - - - -

"Has anyone seen Slim and Betty lately? I know we've been busy, but I don't remember seeing them since we got out of the cars." We were walking out of Mel's temporary office, having finished up after the Mel 'old married couples' discussions and some more conversations about the supervillians that yielded no results.

"Lookin' for us?" and they came walking into the Command Center, holding hands.

"Daddy! Momma2!" Jocelyn yelled and ran over, hugging Slim and Betty with one big grab. Betty had a huge grin on her face: I think that motherhood will look good on her (of course, anything would look good on Betty, but I certainly wasn't going to let my beloved know that!).

"We've been back in DC, actually," and Betty grinned even more, and Rebecca Jane and Arnold came over after she waved them over to us.

"Claudia Rose is not happy with me, Wade," she stated, still grinning.

"What did you do to my chess partner, Betty?" and Mel and Arnold looked like they'd been shot: they obviously hadn't heard the chess stories, yet.

"Nothing, Wade: she's just going to have to find a new aide, that's all," was her entirely-too-happy response, and Jocelyn clapped her hands.

"You stole Lindsey, didn't you?"

"Well, actually, I didn't steal Lindsey: she requested a transfer to a Naval liaison role with Global Justice, and I accepted her request pending Claudia Rose's approval. I had to go and meet with her, so Slim and I went," and she squeezed his hand and Slim smiled. He had been doing a lot of that since I first met him here months ago, but it seemed like years had gone by, with everything that had happened since that first meeting.

"Claudia wouldn't let her go unless she got something in return-" and Wade interjected:

"So, you gave her Will?" and he and Kim both grinned.

"No, I didn't," and they both turned their smiles upside down, "but I did get her to agree on some other things that don't impact me near as much as having Lindsey come over, so she finally conceded,"

"So, who's her liaison officer for you, Betty," Rebecca Jane grinned: she must know something.

"Will Du," and both Kim and Wade groaned, and Rebecca Jane laughed, and both Wade and Kim looked at her like she had just turned into DNAmy.

"Do you think that she'll let him get away with anything, considering who she's been working for?" Betty asked, grinning.

"Besides, I think he may be planning some changes in his ways, based on the look in his eye when he saw her picture," and Arnold and Rebecca Jane both laughed, and Wade and Kim thought for a moment and then got it.

"By the way, Director," Arnold stood, "Please allow me to congratulate you on your upcoming change in status," he grinned. "Doctor Possible, I congratulate you on your excellent decision-making abilities," and Arnold smiled at both of them, both now blushing.

"No trout for you, Betty," I said, and Betty gave me the PDP, and both Jocelyn and Kim laughed.

"So, you're trying to disprove the genetics vs. environmental discussions, huh, Betty?" Kim asked, grinning.

"Dinner tonight is business dress and above," I announced dinner wardrobe, "so semi-formal and formal are ok, as well, so dress accordingly: uniforms are acceptable, but no jump-suits, so spread the word, everybody." I loved being the chef: I could make the rules that I wanted, and no one complained, or it was no soup for them!

"I found a herd of buffalo steaks in your freezer a few days ago, Slim, and they looked lonely, so I've been marinating them for a few days. The ranch has been drooling ever since I told them that 'the chef' was preparing a going-away dinner for tonight.

"The main course is chicken-fried buffalo steaks with some whisker-curled curly fries. We're also having a winter greens salad with my special RDS vinaigrette and a baby corn soup for starters, garlic-basil stir-fried green beans, homemade dinner rolls, and strawberry flan for dessert.

"And, for you, Jocelyn," and she grinned and clapped her hands together in pure glee, "'Wadeshine,' made with both white and dark chocolate."

"Well, Ron, then, wouldn't the white chocolate strawberries be 'Joss-shine?'" Wade grinned, and Jocelyn blushed redder than the strawberries. "Spankin,'" he added, and Slim and Betty both burst out laughing as Wade took off running, followed by a faux-angry Jocelyn.

"Geniuses at play," Slim commented, and Betty leaned over and kissed him.

- - - - - - -

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

Ron wanted dress-up for a reason, and I hit the mother lode:

The workout queen was gone, and the young woman was back: I liked them both, but I really liked this vision; er, version, that is….

Joss wore a simple pleated long cognac-colored black-trimmed skirt with a slit up the right leg that ended below her hip, but not much below it. She had on her tall boots, and they matched her skirt color perfectly. I mentally drooled: her legs, those boots: a match truly made up above.

I moved up, and I almost passed out from lack of oxygen.

Her white blouse was oh so tight and oh-so-full, and it left **nothing** to the imagination: either she's had a sudden growth spurt in the last few hours, or she was profiting again from Rebecca Jane's help. A green scarf around her neck accented her blouse and her hair.

I owed Rebecca Jane my first-born son for whatever magic she had done.

No curve on her body was left untouched, and I was jellin' over her clothes: I wanted to be them.

She'd re-done her hair since the workout, and what she'd done left me to drool: flippy, but not too flippy.

I loved flippy, and she knew it.

oh. man…

Joss wore a little bit more lipstick than she had had on before, just a hint-plus of lipstick (and I mentally licked my lips again in antici…pation!), she had waved the blush brush at her face (maybe it was embarrassed to be near her: she sure showed it up!), and did I mention the lipstick?

and…I took a deep breath and fell in love all over again:

Joss was wearing perfume again!

It was glorious. It was the same brand: Obsessed! for Young Women….

I looked over at the other people already here, and I wanted to cheer!

They were all staring at Joss as she walked over to me, and we kissed.

I love lipstick.

I love strawberries.

I love kissing Joss.

I love Andrea Jocelyn Possible.

"Joss?" a familiar voice came from behind her, and I looked over her shoulder and smiled.

Jennifer Battle, Joss' BFGF, had arrived with her new beau, and she was dressed to the nines. She wore a simple blue dress that hugged her quite well, and her heels were clicking as she walked. She got some of the agents' attention away from Joss, and I didn't complain about that.

The medium-height, well-built blonde gentlemen with her knew how to treat a lady: he was escorting her properly, him in a navy-blue suit with a white banded-collar shirt, his arm cradling her, and his attention only on her: a feat quite daunting for a 13 to 15-year old male with Joss and Kim Possible in the room.

"Jen!" Joss called, and she and her young man came over to us.

"Jennifer Battle: it is indeed a pleasure to see you again," and I bowed and kissed her hand, also watching the BF's reaction: good, he didn't see me as a threat, but Jen giggled..

"Wade, this is Stephen Michael Lopez, my new boyfriend. Stephen, this is Dr. Wade Load of Team Possible, Joss' boyfriend."

"Steven, may I congratulate you on your exquisite taste in young ladies."

"Dr. Load," and he extended his hand, and we shook: no macho gripping: good.

"Wade, please," I replied, and he nodded.

"Wade, then. I'm a big fan of yours and your exploits with Team Possible."

"Thank you, sir," and we both grinned.

"Let's grab a seat before the agents try to steal the ladies away from us," I suggested, and he nodded.

"I don't think they'll have a chance with Jennifer, and I'm prepared to fight for and to keep milady," and we walked over to the table with Slim, Betty, Rebecca Jane, Arnold, Kim, and a spot for Ron (and a plate for Rufus, who had already started readying his knife and fork.).

"That's Kim, isn't it?" Jen whispered to Joss as we sat down.

"Yes: she and Ron came up after Christmas," she replied, and Jen perked up.

"Is **he** here? Joss, you didn't tell me he was here. Do I look all right? Is my lipstick smeared?" Jen was wound up tighter than a coiled Dr. D doomsday spring.

"Miss Battle, on you, lipstick is a waste with your beauty," and she looked up and saw Ron in his chef's outfit, holding out his hand, then taking hers and kissing it. She started her red conversion, and she giggled, again.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Jennifer. You are indeed as lovely as Wade and Jocelyn described," and she just giggled even more and turned even redder.

"And, you, sir?" Ron asked of Stephen, who had stood when Ron first spoke to Jen.

"Stephen Lopez, Mr. Stoppable: I'm one of your biggest fans," and Stephen was grinning like Jen as he shook Ron's hand. "I'm Jennifer's date for the evening," he added.

"You should make that your permanent goal, Stephen, before she gets picked up by another," Ron replied, nodding his head towards Jen.

"That's my goal, sir, and I want to get there, but it'll take some time: I owe her the best that I can deliver."

"Right answer, sir, right answer.

"Let me get back and bring out the soup and salads. Miss Battle, Mr. Lopez," he nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"Jen, you almost started a drool spool, GF," Joss stage-whispered, and Stephen grinned.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to step up my game if Ron's the competition that I'm being measured against," Stephen replied, and he reached down and took Jen's hand.

"Have you seen Fletch, Joss?" Jen asked as she began to un-red a bit.

"Wade and I are going tomorrow; I've been training with Ron all week," Joss replied.

"What's for dinner?" Jen asked.

"Not Ron," Joss dead-panned, and we all laughed as Ron burst thru the doors rolling a massive cart piled high with the start of a wonderful last-night dinner.

- - - - - - -

"Well," I said, standing in the airport with Slim, Betty, and Joss. Kim and Ron had moved over and given us some private time; they'd already said their goodbyes to everyone.

"Deep subject," was Slim's response, and Betty slapped at him.

I don't know about you, Joss, but I'm not as sore as I thought I'd be; of course, I had visions of body casts, so this is an improvement," and Betty chuckled.

"Slim, as always, a pleasure to stay here.".

"Wade, it's a pleasure to have you here. Come back and harass Mel some more," Slim grinned and shook my hand.

"Joss," and she took my breath away as she kissed me, the pulled back.

"Come back, mister: we've got more training to do," she said as she squeezed my hand, then grabbed me and hugged me real tight.

"Thank you, my forever love," she whispered into my ear, then licked it and stepped back with a big grin on her face.

"I will always come back to you, Jocelyn, because I will always love strawberries," and I kissed her cheek, turned, and walked down the ramp to the plane, trailing behind Kim and Ron.

Kim turned around with a grin on her face.

"Wade, come up here: I'm tired of you staring at my butt."

"Yea, Wade. Besides, that's my job," Ron replied, and I moved up as she yelled:

"RON!" and leaned over and kissed him.

"Do I get one for staring, Kim?" I asked, grinning, and she kissed my cheek.

"Let's go, partners," as we each offered her an arm, and the three of us walked arm-in-arm down the hall and boarded the plane back to Middleton.

It had been a good week, but it had been too quiet: Motor Ed solved that for us after we landed.

- - - - - - -

Author's afterward:

2006: The year ended with presents for everyone.

2007: The first week of the year started with goodness, had a few ouches, and ended farily well for everyone.

A very special set of thanks:

Two writers provided immense contributions to me in the construction of this chapter, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them and their contributions:

Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, for sending me down the 'Love Boat' path with Ron after his read of my Intermezzi with Ron and Justine's early 'dates' and their dinner at the ranch.

Whitem, for his wicked sense of humor and offering up of the 'rack 'em up' original scene idea that I then expanded upon; a good portion of what's here is still his unique sense of humor ("Joss! They're so… big!" and "Can I… touch them?" Ron asked).

Thank you, gentlemen, for giving up these great ideas and making an old man laugh out loud more times than expected (although Kim is still ticked at you, whitem, for setting her up, so be wary at the Fannies...).

**Preview: **

Questions:

Three, this time:

How did the drug bust go, and what happened after that original event where Wade almost changed outfits from Meezod to vertical black-and-white stripes?

How are Jocelyn's classes going?

What do the three have to do with each other?

Answer: Quite a bit:

DCI's been busy, and Mel comes to Colorado to talk to Wade, Kim, and Ron about some connections as well as Wade's parents about what's happening due to their son's involvement..

Classes, cheerleading, barrel racing, and friends keep a girl busy, especially when Joss has a wedding to plan for, 8 years from now: you can never plan far enough ahead..

Unfortunately, all of these events, and more, come together in ways that none of them have expected or could have foreseen.

Drugs comes into the lives of the students full-bore in chapter six of Training Table Blues: Drug Busts, and Schoolwork Blues

For all of the Jade fans:

Thanks for your support all last year, and I promise to deliver more to you this year.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

- - - - - -

Enjoy Kim Possible fan fiction? Of course you do. Looking for a way to pay tribute to your favorite authors and stories? Cast your ballot for your favorites in the Second Annual Fannie Awards: browse on over to the web site: **intbike dot com slash fannie2 dot html **for details, or visit **Zaratan**'s profile. Voting ends January 31, so vote today!

- - - - - - -


	6. 6: Drug Busts, and Schoolwork Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Questions:

Three, this time:

How did the drug bust go, and what happened after that original event where Wade almost changed outfits from Meezod to vertical black-and-white stripes?

How are Jocelyn's classes going?

What do the three have to do with each other?

Answer: Quite a bit:

DCI's been busy, and Mel comes to Colorado to talk to Wade, Kim, and Ron about some connections as well as Wade's parents about what's happening due to their son's involvement.

Classes, cheerleading, barrel racing, and friends keep a girl busy, especially when Joss has a wedding to plan for, 8 years from now: you can never plan far enough ahead, is her motto.

Unfortunately, all of these events, and more, come together in frightening and dangerous ways that none of them expected or could have foreseen.

Drugs comes into the lives of the students full-bore in chapter six of Training Table Blues: Drug Busts, and Schoolwork Blues

For all of the Jade fans:

Thanks for your support all last year, and I promise to deliver more to you this year.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

-----

Chapter 6: Drug Busts, and Schoolwork Blues

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

Archives and logs of Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable

Archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load

Archives and logs of Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana

Diary of Rebecca (Becky Barlow) Benge

Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load

-----

**(Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable)**

"Ron, have the class rankings hit the school website yet?"

"They're supposed to be out at 4:30 PM exactly: that's in 3 minutes, Kim."

"Thanks, Ron. I'll call you back after I see where I am," and I hung up.

'I really wanted to see where Ron was more than where I was: he'd worked so hard to get his grades up, and even Mr. Barkin had complimented him at the end of the summer on his turnaround.

'Was it going to be Justine or me at #1? I knew it couldn't be Bonnie; but, then again, after this past summer, her attitude was so different…

'Maybe Felix; I didn't know what his grades were at his old school.

'Monique? I didn't think so, but who knew?'

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-be

And I slammed off my alarm and hit refresh, and the rankings were there!

Yada, Yada, Yada, best class in 5 years, Yada, Yada, Yada,

There it is!

Senior class of 2007 pre-final class rankings:

1. Kim Possible

2. Justine Flanner

3. Kevin Gordon

4. Bonnie Rockwaller

5. Felix Renton

6. Mike Cotton

Page

17. Monique Jenkins

18. James Jefferson

Page

Page

199. Ronald Stoppable

200. Ronnie Jean Ravenswood

201. Jessie Coleman

202. Ronald Reger

ALL RIGHT!

I'm number 1!

Stick that, Rockwaller!

And I immediately regretted that thought….Bonnie had been so nice all year; even when we didn't win State Cheer Championships, she congratulated the other team, person by person, and she consoled our own team members who were crying….

I could have been #2 to Justine's #1; it still could change, but it doesn't matter as long as it's Justine.

Ron's in the top 30 percent; he's still almost a shoo-in for a MIT cooking scholarship; I know that's what he wants, so bad.

They've already accepted me, but I'm holding off accepting until I know whether or not Ron's getting in….

Wait!

Scroll back up…Big Mike is in the Top 10?

Now know why Justine's been smiling so much lately…well, besides that….and just that thought made me get real hot, and I knew I was red.

And why shouldn't she be happy, finally? I thought as I called Ron.

I didn't know Big Mike's smile could be that big when he announced after the Middleton Fair ended that he and Justine were 'seeing each other;' of course, her smile wasn't small, either….

And, the size of his hands, and I got hotter by the second….

You go, Justine!

"Ron…."

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

Wade and I did go to visit Fletch and his parents before he left….

-----

"Wade, are you sure you can handle this?" I asked him one more time as Daddy pulled up in front of the hospital.

"I'm sure, Sweet Tea," he sounded exasperated, and he had every reason to be: I'd only asked him the question once every mile between the ranch and the hospital….

"I'm sorry, Joss," and now he apologizes to me for harassing him! I knew why Jen wanted to clone him; heck, I wanted to clone him so I could keep one up here in Montana year-round…but I wasn't gonna tell him that, and I grinned inside.

"It's all right, Wade," I replied, jumping down into the ice-slush on the road with a splash!

"I just wanted to make sure you'd thought this through," I continued as he landed in the same slush with a splash, splashing my coat and boots.

"OH! Joss, I'm so sorry," and I waved him off.

"Wade, that's what the coat and boots are for," I grinned as I took his hand and we trudged through the snow to the front walk up to the hospital door, with Daddy and Betty behind us. I looked over my shoulder, and they were grinning like…well, like Wade and me.

-----

"Mr. Benge?" I saw him standing down the hall from Fletcher's door, and he looked up when he heard my name, and he grinned real big.

"Joss!" he waved, and then he saw Wade, and his grin shrank about 95.

"Mr. Benge, how's Fletch?"

"He's fine, Joss," he answered, ignoring Wade, who squeezed my hand to let me know he was ok.

"Mr. Benge, I have someone here who wants to meet you. Mr. Benge, this is Dr. Wade Load of Team Possible," and Mr. Benge's eyes could have popped out of their sockets, they were so large.

Wade stuck out his hand.

"Mr. Benge: it's nice to meet you. I'm just glad we got Anne here in time to help your son," he said calmly, as Mr. Benge took his hand and shook it, confused.

"You…got Dr. Possible…here?"

"Yes, sir. Kim and I have worked together for years, and I've known Dr. Anne Possible for a few years. She is an outstanding brain surgeon; so, when Joss told me what had happened, I called Dr. Director and we got her here as fast as 'possible,'" and Wade smiled at the pun.

"Doctor...Director…?" and Betty spoke up.

"That would be me, sir: Dr. Elizabeth Director, head of Global Justice," and Betty stepped forward and shook the hands of the now-fully-in-shock Mr. Benge and his wife; his wife had come up after I had introduced Wade and was standing behind her husband.

"Jarrod Benge, ma'am, and this is my wife, Tracy," and Betty shook both of their hands.

"Ma'am, do you know who the president of that company was that paid my son's bills? We'd really like to thank him or her," and I saw Daddy grinning out of the corner of my eye.

'bomb dropping in 3…2…1…NOW!'

"That would be me, sir," and Wade smiled. "WadeLogistics LLC is my company, and I am the president."

'and, now, the jaws are firmly implanted in the floor,' and I looked at Jarrod and Tracy Benge and tried not to laugh at their shocked expressions.

"I help where I can, Mr. Benge, and I know how much this all will cost, and I have the money, and Fletcher is one of Jocelyn's friends, so," and he took my hand, and Jarrod Benge woke up.

"You mean, even after all Fletcher said to you, Joss, you helped him?"

"He apologized, Mr. Benge, so what he said didn't matter after that. He is my friend, and I wanted to help, and I asked my boyfriend, and, well," I trailed off after dropping that bombshell on them.

He did the right thing.

"Thank you, Dr. Load, for everything," and tears were starting to fight his face. "My boy obviously learned some wrong ideas from me, and you've help me understand that I've got some serious thinkin' to do, now," and Mrs. Benge nodded.

"Let's go and see if your son's awake, sir," and Wade led the way down the hall, looking at the doors.

"Sir? You should know: Becky's in there with him," Mrs. Benge warned Wade, and he knocked on the door and waited for an invite before opening it, and we walked in together.

-----

Fletch was in bed, but the top of his bed was raised so he could appear to be sitting up, and Becky was in the chair next to the bed, now leaning back. She saw Wade and had no emotion on her face: no love, no hate, no joy, nothing.

"Fletcher Benge?" and Wade walked forward to the bedside, and Fletch's smile grew big!

"Wade Load!" and he stuck out his hand to shake Wade's, and Wade shook it; Fletch pulled him into a hug, tubes hanging from both his arms.

"Thank you," Fletch said into him, "thank you for helping me, especially after everything I said and did to Joss," and he pulled back, and there were tears on his face.

"You could have let one more white boy die," and Becky winced at Fletch's remark, "and **no one** would have blamed you," Fletch said, grinning, and Wade grinned back and shook his head 'no.'

"Wrong, Fletcher. **Two** people would, Fletcher: I would have blamed myself if I'd done it, because that's not what Team Possible does; and Joss would have blamed me **and** killed me if I hadn't helped you," and Fletch laughed at Wade's last remark, and Becky still had no emotion on her face after that wince.

"And, you must be Miss Barlow, correct?" Wade asked as he walked around the bed to Becky, and she stood.

"I'm Wade Load, and I'm very happy to finally meet you: Joss has told me good things about you, but she never told me how lovely you were," and Wade reached, took her left hand, and kissed it.

It worked.

Becky smiled: it was a thin smile, but she smiled.

"Is the hospital treating you ok, Becky? Do you need anything?" Wade asked, and she shook her head 'no,' then sat back down and turned her head away from Wade and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry; I didn't get that, Becky. What did you say?" Wade asked, and Becky's head snapped back around at Wade, tears and anger both all over her face.

"HOW COULD YOU?" she shouted, and even Fletch was shocked.

"HOW COULD YOU?" she shouted again, and jumped up and started beating on Wade's chest over and over again.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO NICE?" she yelled. "HOW? and she fell into Wade's chest and sobbed.

"After all I said to Joss, how could you?" She sobbed into Wade, and I reached and took her hand. Wade's hands were at his side, and he wasn't going to raise them and hug here without a signal.

"HOW COULD you?"

"HOW could you?"

"How could you," came from Becky, softer and softer, as she heaved sobs, softer and softer still, and she finally raised her head and looked into my Wade's chocolate-brown eyes with such sadness.

"I love him, and I thought I was going to lose him, and you saved his life," she said thru more tears.

"WHY?" she yelled once more, and then she fell into his chest, sobbing again.

By now, Daddy and Fletch's parents had come in, and they had witnessed the entire event.

"Why not?" was Wade's simple response, and Becky's face snapped up to glare and stare at him.

"Fletch never hurt me or Joss, and neither have you, Becky, so I ask you, again: why shouldn't I have helped him? He was trying to do something right; he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Carl showed up: so, again, why not help when I can, however I can?" and Wade pulled himself away from Becky, and he went back around the bed to Fletch.

"There's also some reward money, Fletcher: I don't know when it'll be released, but let me know if you have any problems getting it, and I'll talk to Mel and get them straightened out," he added as he shook the surprised Fletch's hand and came back to mumbling something about 'that's two more' to himself.

I went over to Fletch and hugged him, then smiled as I let him go.

"You gonna be ok, Fletch?"

"Sure am, Joss. Thanks," was his smiling response.

I went around to Becky and hugged her: she was still shaken, but she took my hug.

"You ok, BB?" I whispered to her as we hugged.

"You two are incredible, J," she whispered into my hair, and I squeezed her in reply.

"Thank you," she whispered back, and I squeezed her again.

Becky pulled back and stared at me with wonder and sorrow. "I'm so very sorry, J. Can you ever in a million forgive me?"

My hug was her answer.

"I may slip-slide, J, but I'll try, I promise," she whispered into my hair, and I nodded.

"It's been almost 15 years, and I've got a lot of unlearning to do," she said when she pulled her face out of my soggy hair and smiled at me.

"So do we, Becky," was the reply from Mr. Benge, and I looked up to see his wife nodding and Daddy smiling.

-----

Wade left, and I was alone for a bit with my thoughts, so I had a chance to spend some time in my room.

I hung Wade's picture that he gave me (wow, that thing was HUGE! I had to take down my picture of him, but I moved it and hung it over the steps into my room, hanging from the ceiling).

I loved that picture, and I could see why Wade loved Stephanie and Kim and, yes, even me, though sometimes I felt inadequate around Kim and when Wade talked about Stephanie.

I put Momma's flag on my desk so I could always see it, and I went downstairs and helped Daddy and Momma2 (dang, that feels good!), I mean Betty (not yet, Joss!) hang the picture that Daddy got from Rachel.

What an artist.

I was ready for school to start, and I was ready to get more As.

I pulled out the picture of me in my cheerleader outfit: I thought I'd slip a copy in Wade's luggage the next time he came up, and I'd send a digital copy after he left.

That should send him into the shower.

Daddy didn't complain, too much, when he saw me wearing the cheerleading outfit.

He did complain when he saw my choice for my barrel-racing outfits:

"Go git sump'in to wear that ain't sprayed on, Sweet Tea," was his only comment.

It was a little tight, but I wanted to get the judge's attention….

My wedding planner! I'd better move it to my night stand…

I already knew what dress I wanted, and who I wanted as my bridesmaids.

And, most importantly, I knew where I wanted to get married: on the ranch, at the bench, just before sunset.

My picture of Wade and me…I need that closer…maybe on the other wall, or hang in on the ceiling above my bed….

Wade, in a tux with full tails at our wedding…

Wade, on our wedding night…

I needed a cold shower.

-----

**(Recording found in an authorized search of a residence…; can be admissible into evidence)**

"What are we going to do about that kid?"

"The one that fingered us, or the idiot that helped him by being there?"

"Both of them."

"What about Red, and the black boy?"

She drew her finger across her neck, and he understood.

Take them all out.

-----

**(Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana)**

I went to Middleton, Colorado, on a Friday morning in late March, to meet with Kimberly Ann Possible and Ronald Dean Stoppable, ad-hoc agents for Global Justice and founders of Team Possible.

I had another purpose, albeit a good one: I was coming to talk to Dr. Wade Load, partner of Team Possible, for two reasons: one, to tell him that his case had officially been dropped; and two, to pass along additional information regarding the Justin-1 drug bust and the results of the case.

I stepped off of the commuter plane and was greeted by Dr. Load, Kim, and Ron.

"Hello, Melisandretti," Wade smiled as he extended his hand.

I just loved it when he said my name: it rolls so beautifully off his tongue; I'd have sworn he was Italian.

STOP IT, MEL! HE'S JUST A KID!

Yes, but what a brain….

NO, MEL!

"Good afternoon, Dr. Load," I smiled as I shook his hand and he reached across and took my roller from my hands and started to pull my suitcase.

"Hello, Kim, Ron," I shook their hands and started to tell to Wade that I could handle my own suitcase.

Before I had a chance, he explained. "Dad always taught me that a lady should never have to carry her suitcase if a gentleman is around," he said as he pulled it behind him, struggling a bit at first but gaining control of it after a few steps.

'Your father is a wise man: I just wish my first ex-husband's father had taught him so well,' was my thought.

"Smart man," I grinned.

He turned towards the back of the airport rather than heading outside for parking, and I got worried,

"Wait a sec, Wade: how did all of you get here?" and I was afraid I knew the answer.

"The tube, Mel," as we walked into a closed room in a secured portion at the back of the Middleton Airport, and Wade had opened the door to a room that lit automatically when the door opened. He stood my suitcase next to the two of us as the door closed automatically, and I tensed in anticipation. I'd heard about this 'tube,' and it certainly didn't sound like my cup of tea.

Kim and Ron stood back, and Ron was grinning.

'This is not good,' I thought.

"Hold on, Mel," and the floor dropped from underneath me, and I-

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," and I landed on my feet outside of Wade's house.

"Wade," I struggled to get my breath back, and Wade just grinned at me, "I'm not so sure that they the courts should release you from your charges, now," and he laughed as he pulled my suitcase towards the now-open door framing his parents, the Doctors Load.

"Mel," Mr. Dr. Load came out, only using one cane today, and he shook my hand and took the suitcase from Wade, pulling it into the house.

"Ryan, how are you?"

"Much better than my students," he laughed as we headed towards the house.

"Mel," and Mrs., Dr, Load hugged me.

It made me wish that all children of Montana could have parents like the Loads and the Possibles: giving unconditional love and strong moral guidance as examples, not just words.

"Rachel, you're looking well," I replied as we separated.

"I hate the tube as much as I hate meat cakes!" Ron yelled, and I turned to see him and Kim land behind us.

"RON!

"Ron, you're going to have to see someone about this 'meat cake' fixation," Kim said as they walked up the sidewalk behind us.

"Already did, KP, and they don't have any idea, either," was Ron's response.

"Hello, Agent Claremore," and I turned around to see Dr. Elizabeth Director, head of Global Justice, walking up the sidewalk behind the two original members of Team Possible.

What a house in which to live….

"Good evening, Dr. Director," and I smiled as I extended my hand.

"It's Betty, please, Mel," and she shook my hand.

Wow.

"All right, D-Betty," and I smiled as we all went into the house and into the living room.

We all sat, and I opened my case and pulled out the first folder.

"Wade, the State Attorney's office has offered to drop all charges stemming from your 'EWB' incident, and the Judge has agreed with their request. Your slate is now officially clean in Montana, Wade," and Wade grinned and hugged me.

'Joss, good luck: he's a lady-killer on a mission, and you're the mission,' I thought, and I looked down at Wade, a wicked grin on his face.

"So, I can now send emails in Montana without fear of imprisonment?" he asked, and I laughed along with Betty Wade's parents, Kim, and Ron.

"Yes, Wade, you can, and we won't even charge a poll tax on your email," and I laughed because he didn't get that one, at first, but his parents did, and they laughed with Betty and me.

"What really brought me here, Wade, is some first-hand consulting from you and a conversation I need to have with Kim and Ron.

"You remember what you saw in the data on Justin-1, and we're starting to see some disturbing patterns in new data coming to us. That meth lab was the largest bust in Montana history, and we saw a major drop in crystal meth sales and increases in prices for several weeks after it happened. But, now, we're seeing the price dropping, again, and we can't find the source.

"Can I impose on you to come back to Montana to do some work?" and I didn't understand why everyone laughed at me.

"Mel, why go to Montana (unless it's for Joss-shine," he grinned), "when you can bring Montana to you?" and he stood and took my hand, leading me to a part of the house that had a palm-reader on the wall.

He palmed, and the door opened, and I understood why Team Possible could do what no one else could do: they didn't have Wade Load or his bedroom.

-----

**Rebecca (Becky Barlow) Benge **

"Fletch, hold onto me so you don't fall," I encouraged him. He was up, walking, finally out of his hospital room. His hair was finally growing back, but it was coming in curly, and I teased him about that.

"I'll hold on, Becky, but not for that reason," he grinned, and I moved his hand a little higher, to my lower back,

"That's better, isn't it?" I grinned back at him, and he pouted, so I kissed him, and the pout went away quick.

"Now, like the nurse said, baby steps, 'Curly,'" and he groaned as he moved one foot slowly, then another, then another, then another, then stopped.

"That was great, Fletch!" I beamed at him, and I looked up and saw a lady in a business suit walking towards us.

"Fletcher Benge?" she called out.

"Yeah?"

"This is for you," and she pulled out a pistol, and the DCI agent behind me yelled:

"GUN!" and ran around us and stood in front of Fletch and me.

And, three doors on the hall all burst open as she fired at the first agent, and he fell, dead. Then, she pointed the gun at us.

"NO!" and I pushed Fletch to the ground, and I felt two punches in my side.

I looked down, and I saw red on the side of my sweater.

'Fletch must have bled on me when I helped him out of bed,' I thought, but the red was growing on my sweater, and my stomach felt wet. I heard gunshots, and I looked up to see the lady, the person behind her who also had a pistol, and the three agents all fall to the ground.

"BECKY!" Fletch yelled as he struggled to get up at.

"Fletch, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Becky. Why did you push me down?"

"She was going to shoot you, Fletch," I told him, feeling a bit annoyed with that stupid a question. Now, I felt annoyed and dizzy.

"DOCTOR!" Fletch yelled.

'Why did he call for a doctor? Did I hurt him when I pushed him down?'

"Becky, you've been shot!" and he hugged me.

His hug felt so good.

'Maybe that's why that red is bigger on my sweater, now,' I thought, then my legs wanted to rest, and I went to my knees.

'Damn: I liked this sweater, and now I'll never get the stain out.'

"Fletch?"

"Yeah, Becky?" and he held my hand as the doctors came running up, and more agents were behind them, guns drawn, and there were tears on his face, but I didn't know why.

"I love you, Fletch," and now, the pain hit, and it hurt BAD, and it was hard to breathe, but I had to tell Fletch one more thing.

"tell…Joss…and…Wade…"

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

"31.1 seconds, with no penalties: that's great, Joss!" Stephen Michael Lopez called out as I passed him.

"That's my best time, so far," I yelled as I pulled up, turned, and brought my horse back over to Stephen where he stood with his stopwatch and clipboard, writing down my times. "But, it's not good enough," I added.

"Joss, why are you so worried? You've only been doing this for 3 months, and you've only been around the barrels ever for a time test in the last two days," he asked as I dismounted and he held my reins and petted Sadie, slipping her a sugar cube.

I took my rope and wrist clip out of the saddlebag and put the wrist clip back on under my sleeve. I wasn't supposed to wear it at school (concealed, you know), but Stephen just grinned: he figured that ropes and Rodeos fir together.

"Why can't you lower your expectations to the standards?"

"I'm a perfectionist, Stephen," I grinned. "and, I'm a 'Possible,'" I added, and he groaned.

"Let's get Sadie back to the corral."

"Who's that coming up the walk, Joss?"

"I don't know."

"Hey! Kids," I hate it when older people call me that…

"Yes, sir, may I help you?"

He pulled a gun and pointed it at us.

"Inside the barn, both of you. You're the last ones out, right?" and Stephen nodded, trying not to speak.

"Inside," and he waved us in with his gun.

Stephen opened the barn door and found the rest of the team inside with three other people (and I use that term loosely) holding guns on the rest of the rodeo team, and Mr. Sanchez was lying on the ground, face down!

"He's ok, Joss, he got knocked out!" came from Patti John, one of our seniors and our best barrel racer.

"Who are you?" He asked me as we turned.

"AJ Possible," I replied, and he grinned.

"You're Joss Possible?" the guy behind us asked.

"Yes, sir." I knew when to be nice, no matter what some people thought.

"Good! We've found one more target. Boss6, get on the horn and tell Boss1 that the redhead's in the corral," and he laughed as he pushed me to the ground.

"Sure thing, Boss2," and Boss6 touched his earpiece and began to speak while holding the gun trained on a group of teenagers.

Real brave people, these were.

"No! Leave her alone!" Stephen yelled, and he got rewarded by being slapped across the face with the gun.

"Shut up, spic, or you'll be next week's tamales," Boss2 laughed as Stephen wiped the blood off of his face.

Now, I was officially pissed.

I was glad I was wearing long sleeves: they couldn't see my wrist clip, and I knew it was gonna come in handy: I just didn't know when or how.

"What do you want with us, mister?"

"It's not just you we want: we want US $20 Million, a GJ Jet with no tracking devices, our drugs back and our buddy out of jail.

"Oh, and by the way, we want Fletcher Benge dead, and you, too, Red, and we want that boyfriend of yours to suffer while we do it so he'll leave us alone from now on," and Paula, one of the girls in the back, screamed, but she stopped that scream when one of the others slapped her with her gun, and I could hear Paula crying from the pain.

Now, I was madder than a bag of wet cats in a wading pool.

I wished Ron was here: he could show them some moves and shut them up.

'Center, Jocelyn:' I heard Ron's voice in the back of my head, and I twitched internally: I didn't want to unnerve the guy with the gun.

'You are the only enemy that you cannot defeat,' I heard him again, and my anger began to become more amorphous.

'Center,' I heard again, and the anger melted into a puddle, and now the puddle was beginning to form into a plan that Ron was directing from his past weeks' teachings that he had so graciously given me in my training.

'Now, Jocelyn, see the foes and identify them.'

'One right here waving the gun that hit Stephen and me, Ron: he's Boss2.

'The one who struck Paula: count her as Pain1.

'The one with the earpiece: he's Boss6.

The one that hasn't spoken yet: she's Pain2.

"You aren't going to get much from holding a group of teens in the barn," I goaded him, and my reward was whack across the face with his hand.

"SHUT UP, BITCH!" he screamed, and I shut up.

'That's gonna cost you, Boss2,' I thought, wiping my face.

"We've got the whole damn school locked down in the auditorium," he bragged, and I now knew where the rest of them were.

I sat down on a hay bale and knocked my PosComm out of my backbelt pouch (why he hadn't taken it, I don't know: maybe he thought it was a MaxiPod, or maybe he hadn't seen it).

One of the girls saw it fall, and she leaned forward and fell onto the hay bale, hitting the big red button in the middle.

I shore was glad that mah friends were nosy, and I stood up.

Two rifle shots came from outside, and Sadie whinnied and reared at the door, and Pain2 fired a shot at the door.

"You and Boss6 go find out what's spookin' that damn horse," Boss2 demanded, and the two of them ran out of the barn.

Good, only two of them in here.

Then, there were two more rifle shots, and silence from outside.

Then, a high tenor voice from outside, and I recognized Dean Noble's voice:

"We've got these two, the rest of y'all come out, and we won't shoot you, too."

"They shot Jane! What are you gonna do now, Jon?" she yelled and walked up next to Stephen, and he smiled at me, and I knew what he was going to do and that he was waiting for me.

"There's 10 of us left, stupid, so shaddup! We've still got the kids in the auditorium!"

"So, what are you gonna do now?" I asked Boss2 while Pain1 freaked out.

"We're gonna kill all of the girls unless they meet our demands, but we're gonna kill you, anyway, so what do you care?" and the lone gunman in view waved his pistol around the room.

'Now, Jocelyn,' I heard in my head.

"No reason," I replied, and I fired.

-----

**(Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana)**

"Sorry about the mess: I wasn't expecting visitors," and he picked up a single small Slurpster cup and tossed it into the trash.

"Now, let's see what we have, Mel," and he activated five monitors and started attacking keyboards.

I had no idea of what he was doing., so I turned around and saw Betty grinning at me, with Ryan and Rachel Load standing behind her, holding each other and looking so much like my parents (may God rest their souls) in the love that they were radiating that I almost called them by name; that feeling almost made me cry.

I missed my parents.

"Joss is in trouble," came from behind me in a voice I barely heard, and I ignored it until -

"RON!" Kim shouted at him, and then I turned around to see-

Ron was in a tailor position: that was all right.

Ron was three feet off the ground and floating: that was not all right.

Rufus had adopted the same position on Ron's head: that was even stranger.

"Center, Jocelyn," Ron whispered, and Wade ran to his desk, activating every monitor in his room from his PosComm.

"You are the only enemy that you cannot defeat," Ron continued, and Wade was now attacking multiple keyboards now, looking for something. Kim stood next to Ron and touched his shoulder, and I would have sworn in a court of law that I saw something blue flow Ron to Kim and back into Ron.

"Center," I heard Ron, again

"Now, Jocelyn, see the foes and identify them."

Wade's clicking was the only sound as maps popped up on different monitors, from global to North America to US to the Northwest to Montana.

Multiple pagers sounded off simultaneously, and I touched my earpiece.

"Claremore: Talk to me, MATIC."

Wade howled a sound that I hope I never hear again: he'd found something….

"We have a hostage situation at a public school outside of Billings. Mel: it's Jocelyn Possible's high school," and my blood turned to ice because I knew what else was happening, and I heard Rachel in the background burst out a sob.

"Keep talking: I'm in Middleton with Dr. Load, and he's gathering and processing incoming as we speak."

"They shot Becky at the hospital," Wade said calmly. "They tried to kill Fletcher, but Becky stepped in front of him when the person fired, and they shot Becky," was all he could say, then he attacked the keyboards with a vengeance that I'd never seen in him before.

"Mel, there was a shooting at the hospital, also: we have both agents and perps down: no need for transport," the MATIC agent laughed hollowly.

"Who else?" I practically shouted.

"None lost: one injured, a girl," and my heart sank.

Becky.

"Condition?"

"In surgery," came from MATIC and Wade simultaneously. I could hear keyboards being slammed in both rooms.

"Fletcher Benge?"

"Cuts and scrapes. Mel, the girl took a bullet for Fletcher Benge: I don't know if it was intentional or accidental, but she did.

"My God," came from Betty's mouth.

"My agents just intercepted an encrypted transmission from the school: they have 150 hostages, and they are threatening to shoot the girls one at a time if we don't meet their demands.

"I'll meet their demands," Wade growled, and Betty grabbed him, spun him away from the keyboards, and shouted into his face:

"WADE!

"NO!

"STEPHANIE WOULDN'T WANT THIS, and NEITHER WOULD JOSS!" and, with that, he almost crumpled into her arms.

"Betty, I can't lose another one," he cried and shook.

"We'll get her, Wade," and Joss' PosComm beep signaled incoming transmission, and a monitor popped on above Wade's desk. Wade's head spun around to face the monitor, and he heard-

Two rifle shots, and a horse whinnied, and another shot, this one sounded indoors.

"You and Boss6 go find out what's spookin' that damn horse," a male voice commanded, and two sets of footsteps ran away, and a door slammed.

Then, there were two more rifle shots, and silence.

A high tenor voice called: "We've got these two, the rest of y'all come out, and we won't shoot you, too."

"They shot Jane! What are you gonna do now, Jon?" a woman yelled.

"There's 10 of us left, stupid, so shaddup! We've still got the kids in the auditorium!"

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Joss' voice came from the monitor, and the picture snapped on-

"We're gonna kill all of the girls unless they meet our demands in 30 minutes, but we're gonna kill you, anyway, so what do you care?" and the lone gunman in view waved his pistol around the room.

A few second's silence as the gunman waved his gun around, and then-

"Now, Jocelyn," Ron said, and his eyes popped open and he sank slowly to the ground.

"No reason," Joss said and fired her wrist clip, the hook wrapping around his wrist and retracting at such a speed that his gun flew out of his hand. There were sounds in the background, off-camera, and we heard several kicks, bodies hitting the ground hard, lots of yelling and several yelps of pain, and two gunshots, and then there was silence.

"Wade, are you there?" Joss reached over and picked up the PosComm as she reeled her wrist clip back in.

"Yes, Sweet Tea, I'm here. Are you all right?"

"Better than the bottom of the-"

"Joss!" and he grinned. "How many?"

"Just four were in our room, but two left, and I think they're down, outside: they're as stupid as Dr. D: there are 8 in the main building, and they want Carl and $20 million and a GJ Jet with no tracking devices.

"These two are down, and I took the shot, following Sensei's direction, although I don't know how he did it," Joss was now starting to shake.

"Joss! Mel here! Keep talking to us," and I gave Betty the signal for 'shock,' and she and, surprisingly but not, both Ryan and Rachel nodded.

"RON!" Kim yelled, and I glanced back at them and saw that Ron had fallen over.

Kim had put his head in her lap, now, and he had awakened, albeit with a goofy yet knowing smile on his face.

The door to the barn slammed open, and two students came in, both carrying rifles.

Thank God for the Montana hunters, their sons and daughters, and gun racks on pickups and in trunks of cars….

"Everybody ok?" one of them yelled.

"We're fine," was Joss' response, "but those guys are gonna need some headache medicine," and the room echoed and filled with laughter.

"We got two of them: they're injured, but the bleeding's stopped, and they're tied up and gagged next to the barn. Mr. Sanchez is gonna need more medical treatment: concussion, I think," Joss added.

"You're right, Joss," Delta Busby responded; she was working half-days as a paramedic-in-training, and she'd been helping as much as she knew how with everyone's cuts and scrapes, and she'd made sure that we did the right things that we could do to help Mr. Sanchez until we could get a doctor in.

"The rest are all in the main building, in the auditorium, Joss. Can you get word out?" a young man's voice asked her.

"You just did, Stephen. Wade, Mel, get that?"

"Five by five, Sweet Tea," was Wade's reply, and Betty and I went to work.

"Joss: did you download last week?" Tangent, Wade?

"Of course, my Wade. Why?"

"The latest remote-control software was in the last download pack," and Wade hit a control, and the PosComm rose up to Joss' face.

"Spanking!" was her reaction, and the camera moved to touch her cheek.

"Virtual kissing, Wade?"

"When the best isn't here, Sweet Tea," and the camera moved back to show Joss' now-red face.

"What are you gonna do with it, Wade?"

"You still have the school map that you downloaded at the beginning of the year, right?"

"Yes, but-OOOH, I could kiss you right now!" she squealed with glee as Wade grinned wickedly.

"Later, my love," he whispered a joystick appeared next to the keyboard.

"What's happening, Wade?" I asked, and Betty chuckled in the background.

'It's better than a Predatory drone, Mel: smaller radar and visual signal, and Wade-operated," was Betty's response as the school map appeared on one monitor and the joystick began to move by itself.

"I'm still faster with the keyboard," Wade said over his shoulder as he flew the PosComm out of the barn and up over the school for reconnaissance, then found what he was looking for and dove for one particular HVAC unit on the auditorium roof.

Betty and I created a conference call through the Command Center, and we had our plan together in seven minutes and had all of our people, already on-site, ready to move into position four minutes later.

-----

"GJ-One in position," and I recognized Will Du's voice. Betty had told me about his new 'involvement' with Commander Lindsey Peterson: she seemed to have worked her magic on Will as he had become (shudder) human!

"MATIC-Alpha in position."

"GJ-Five in position."

"GJ-Seven in position."

"GJ-Nine in position."

"MATIC-Oh in position."

"MATIC-Bee in position."

"Hold," came from GJ-One.

Silence for 90 seconds, then,

"Go," and six puffs of sound came over the speakers.

"MATIC-Alpha yes."

"GJ-Five yes."

"GJ-Seven yes."

"GJ-Nine yes."

"MATIC-Oh yes."

"MATIC-Bee yes."

"GJ-One: targets have been terminated. No collateral damage. We're going in for pickup and cleanup," and we head doors slam open and kids cheering.

21 minutes after the demand was issued, with Wade piloting the PosComm thru the school auditorium's ventilation system to locate the guests and place a radar and visual lock on each of them while Joss and Stephen calmed the other students in the barn and took care of Mr. Sanchez, six GJ and Montana FirstResponse snipers, all equipped with the new UniNaza-Spcl sniper-enhanced units, had taken out the trash with no collateral damage.

From demand to resolution in under 30 minutes: the after-action work and reports and dealing with the local, regional, national, and international press would take weeks, I thought, and I mentally groaned. Agent Sandmore will likely provide me with that 'opportunity; I assume (and assumed correctly: it took six weeks before the last press person left town for Austria, her home location: it seems that one of the attempted kidnappers that survived was an Austrian national.

-----

Wade's call finally got thru to Slim to tell him that Joss was all right: he'd heard bits while he was out grocery shopping, of all things, and couldn't reach Joss or Wade or the Bunker; when he finally got thru to the Command Center, the events were in full flight and only a few minutes from conclusion, although he didn't know it at the time.

Betty took a call with Slim from another room, and when she came back in her eyes were deeply red and cried out.

Being a mother-to-be was not going to be easy for Betty, especially when the daughter-to-be was a sometimes-mature and very free-spirited Possible woman-child.

-----

Betty arranged for transport for all of us to Billings International, and we all got there in frazzled condition.

Kim and Ron called their parents and told them what was happening, and Anne left the hospital and met us at the airport ('You can never have enough doctors,' was her reason. Kim: 'Mom just wanted to leave the Tweebs with Dad for the weekend!'). Wade had contacted the school, but a Mr. Steve Barkin was calling him on another line as he was calling the school, and he dropped the school line and took his call,

"Wade!"

"Montana: right, Steve?"

"Why did I know you'd be on top of it?

"What's the sitch, Wade?" and Ron and Kim both giggled.

"Closed. All kidnappers are down, and the school is secure. We're on our way there, now."

"Thank you. Charlie?"

"He's fine: got a text-burst SMS from him: they locked him in his office, but he was out and moving the rest of the students out and into other buildings when the final was taken."

"Good. Brick always had a good head on his shoulders," Steve sounded proud of his friend.

"I assume Possible and Stoppable won't be back today," he added.

"Yes, sir."

"Tell them to keep low…on the other hand, knowing Stoppable, tell Kim that and tell Stoppable I'm still watching him," and Steve smile came across over the phone.

"I'll pass it along," and I cut the connection.

-----

The flight was quiet except for Wade's clicking of keys.

-----

Slim and Joss met us at the airport, and Wade and Betty almost left before the plane landed.

"Slim!"

"Joss!"

"Betty!"

"Wade!"

I stood back and let them have their alone moments, but I could hear bits of Wade's conversation as he stood, facing her, holding both of her hands. I could see her face, but I couldn't see his.

"Are you crazy?"

Joss' mouth moved, rather animatedly, and she pulled her hands away as she motioned with them.

And she's not even Italian, I grinned: my husband always complained about me talking with my hands.

"Ron. …what?"

Joss' mouth moved, rather animatedly, again.

"How….?"

I could read her response: 'how the hell should I know?'

"…Becky?"

She got a very sad look on her face, and said something.

"She said what?"

She spoke for a long time, this time.

"I love you, Joss. Please, don't scare me like that again."

She asked Why?

"Because, I was afraid…lose you, Andrea Jocelyn Possible, just like…lost Stephanie...I couldn't…," and he fell into her, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"…sorry."

They were an old married couple at 14 and 15; I wondered what they would be like at 50, but then I smiled when I thought about it: they'd be just the same….

I looked over at Betty, and she had pulled herself out of Slim's grasp, finally, and they both were wet with tears. They looked over at Wade and Joss and went to them, and they had a four-way family-to-be hug.

"Ron, are we gonna be like that?" Kim said from behind me.

"KP, we already are," and I turned to see the smile on his face, and I saw her head cover his smile as they kissed.

"Where's mine?" my familiar voice came through, and I turned-

"I heard you were coming back, Mel," and I grabbed my husband and hugged him, and my tears and his tears both escaped for the children, forced to grow up, today, all too soon.

"Who's the lucky guy, Mel?" I heard Kim grin, and I turned to face her with Greg.

"Kim, this is my husband, Gregory Claremore. Greg, this is-"

"Kim Possible and Ronald Stoppable. It's an honor. And, may I congratulate you, Mr. Stoppable, for realizing what a gift you have," and Ron blushed as Greg shook his and Kim's hands.

I looked at Kim and mouthed 'told you,' and she giggled as he shook her hand.

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

We all showed up at the hospital, and I had to hug Mr. and Mrs. Barlow.

They were hugging Joss and me, but we hadn't met, and I bet that they thought I was another student at the school.

"Wade!" Fletch managed to pull us away, and I hugged him (a manly hug, of course: per the Legal-Men rules), and I asked:

"How is she?"

"She's been in surgery for 7 hours, Wade, and they won't tell us anything!" and he lost it, then.

I was happy my Sweet Tea was there: she grabbed Fletch and let him cry it out.

When he came up, I learned why:

"She pushed me down, Wade, and she got shot twice with bullets meant for me!"

"Ron, what's wrong?" I heard Kim behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Ron running into a storage room, with Kim close on his heals.

"Just a minute, Fletch," and I followed them in, and heard the last part of the conversation with Ron and…the air?

"You have not completed your training for the art, Master, so you cannot completely heal her. You can prevent her from dying, and her selfless act will be payment enough for this," a voice, seemed to be hanging in front of Ron's face, was arguing with Ron, and he was arguing back.

"Why can't I heal her completely?"

"It would kill you without the training, Master, and self-termination will not be allowed."

"I don't care!"

"RON!" Kim shouted, and I saw the tears streaming down her face at what Ron was willing to do.

"I have no choice?" Ron sounded defiant yet defeated.

"No, Master, we have no choice. We can prevent her from dying from here, but we do not know how far we will be able to heal."

"Then, let's do it," Ron said.

"I'm ready: hit me, Lotus Blade!"

"Hold the blade, Master, and we will begin," and Ron thought, and his pants fell as his belt turned into the Lotus Blade, and it appeared in his hands.

Kim giggled and pulled his pants up, buckling them and spending an awful long time zipping them up.

'Darn zipper must have been stuck again,' I thought.

Ron held the blade, and the blue aura encompassed him. Ron rose in the air and assumed the Lotus position, and Rufus ran out of his pocket, looked down, and ran to the top of Ron's head and took the same position inside the blue aura.

Kim reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, and the blue aura encompassed her, as well.

Then, Ron began to shake, and then he screamed a howler monkey scream for what seemed to be 3 minutes, and then he stopped, the glow disappeared, and he and Rufus sank to the ground.

"Ron! Are you all right?" I asked him.

"Exhausted, need water, but fine," was his response.

"Slurpster, extra-large," was Rufus' response.

"My throat is dry, but I'll live," came from Kim.

"She will live," came from the voice.

"Is she healed completely?"

"No; she will not walk for a very long time, but she will, with training, learn to walk again."

"Thank you, Lotus Blade."

"You are welcome, Master. Do not speak of this to anyone except Sensei," and the voice grew silent.

"Wade?" Joss was banging on the door.

I opened it, and saw her worried look.

"Why did you just run into the closet?" and she grinned evilly. "Are you and Ron and Kim-"

"NO!"

"Good; I'd hate to miss it," she grinned and blushed hair-red.

"How long were we in there, Joss?"

"What'cha mean, Wade? You just went in a second ago," she told me.

'Time dilation' was my thought as I walked out of the closet, followed by Ron and Kim.

Doing that, anywhere, will get you a strange look.

After about four hours, and after I went downstairs to get a drink and visit the Business Office, the doctor came out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barlow?" he spoke, removing his surgical cap.

"Becky made it thru the surgery," he finally said, and he smiled as the Barlows fell into him, crying.

I looked over at Ron and mouthed 'thank you,' and he mouthed back 'no big' with a big Ron-style goofy grin, and I almost burst out laughing.

"What we don't know," he added, and the Barlows braced themselves, "is the extent of the damage to her motor skills.

"Her spinal column was severely damaged, and we won't know until she wakes up, and we don't know when she'll wake up," he continued.

"Was it a bruise or a tear, Doctor? Dr. Anne Possible, a friend of the family," and the Barlows looked like they were going to faint.

"A very bad bruise, Dr. Possible, but she was very fortunate that it was not torn. I would have sworn, when I cut her open, that her spine was severed, but I was wrong.

"Lucky girl," he concluded.

"Thank you, doctor. If she has movement, what is the likelihood of her recovery?" I asked, and the doctor looked at me funny.

"Dr. Wade Load," I added, and he smiled and nodded.

"She likely will be totally paralyzed, but there's a slim chance that she'll be able to talk. Motion? I'd think it's impossible," and Joss grinned.

"Doctor: she's my friend, and I know Becky: if there's a chance, Becky will be able to move; she may not walk, but she'll be able to move," and she grinned as the doctor was overloaded by celebrities, as were the Barlows.

I didn't tell them what I did until after Becky woke up, and her parents let the cat out, so to speak.

Fletch spent 8 days in her hospital room, not leaving her side except to use the bathroom.

-----

**Rebecca (Becky Barlow) Benge **

I don't remember much after I passed out, but I do remember one dream.

Wade, Ron Stoppable (what a hunk!) and Kim Possible were in a room and Ron was floating in the air. There was a thread of blue something that stretched out from his body all the way into the operating where I was under anesthesia, and it wrapped itself around me.

I'd never felt that much love in my life except right before I was born.

I felt an itch that I couldn't scratch, and I couldn't reach it. I wanted Fletch to scratch it for me, but he was reading and I couldn't get his attention.

"mmmm," came from my mouth. There was something in it: a breathing tube.

"mmMM," came from my mouth again, and Fletch shifted.

I hurt all over, but I couldn't see through my eyes.

How was I seeing Fletch?

"MMMM," and Fletch jumped, dropped his book, and hit a button as he screamed my name.

"BECKY!"

I have never heard him say my name any more beautiful that that time, when I woke up.

Why was I in a hospital bed?

Oh, yeah, a minor matter of two bullets, Barlow.

Smooth move, girl.

Get yourself killed, and I tried to raise my hands and stretch, but there were so many tubes, and I was so tired, I could barely raise them.

"SHE MOVED HER ARMS!" screamed Fletch.

D'oi, Fletch! Of course I moved my arms.

He leaned over me and kissed me on the side of my mouth.

"I love you, Becky Barlow," Fletch started, with just a hint of a tear marring his wonderful smile. "You saved my life, and you almost lost yours doing it, but that's not why I love you.

"I loved the old Becky Barlow, full of life

"I loved the new Becky Barlow when she began to grow when the truth was in front of her, and she started to change."

AWWW, he's so sweet: maybe I'll keep him.

HAH! He's not getting away from me!

"And, I'll love this newer Becky Barlow, regardless of what happens.

"I want you, Becky, but I've got to get my act together; I've decided that I'm gonna go to college and then work for DCI: Mel said that they can even help pay for it! And, Wade even offered to tutor me so I wouldn't miss our graduation together, but now I'm worried about you, too.

Crap! How much school did I miss? I thought I was just in here one day.

"But, I can't do anything unless you're by my side, my BumbleBee, so get ready to rock through life with me, Becky."

The doors slammed open, and Mom and Dad ran in and saw my eyes open, and they started to cry.

How long was I out?

Joss Possible and Wade came in, holding hands and grinning big, and I wanted what they have.

There was a hint of that same blue line I'd seen in my dream, and it was connecting Joss and Wade.

Wasn't she supposed to be in school? Oh, yeah, this must be Saturday, the day after I got shot.

Did I tell Fletch I love him?

Did he tell Joss and Wade?

OMG, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable are here!

LOOK AT THAT ROCK she's wearing!

He's such a hunk, and she's so lucky….

That blue is all around them; I guess no one else saw it, because I'd think blue-glowing people would be strange.

A doctor came in, and I recognized him from my dream as the surgeon who operated on me.

"Hello, Becky," he had a smooth voice; I remembered it well.

"You've been out for eight days, and I need to check your dressings and reflexes."

Eight days?

"This is early, so don't be worried."

Yea, so **now** I'm worried.

"I see your arms are up; good. Can you wave at me?"

D'OI! I waved both hands at him and I almost gave him the finger, but I decided against it.

Mom and Dad yelled, and Fletch clapped.

"Now, lift your left leg."

Ok, next.

"Now, your right leg."

Next.

"Wiggle your right toes."

What the heck is this?

"Now, your left."

Ok, now what?

"Mr. and Mrs. Barlow: the lower part of her body appears to be paralyzed, but it's early. Her recovery in her upper body; well, I've never seen anything like it;, it's impossible."

Paralyzed? I could feel everything.

"She's my friend, Doctor, and it's just what I told you: she could do it, and she will come out all right. It may take awhile, but she'll be fine," and Wade was beaming and I was trying not to cry.

After all I'd done to Joss and him, he was in my corner.

"Doctor, can you help me with one question?" Dad asked.

"I went to the hospital's Business Office to set up my additional insurance for coverage, and they told me that everything's paid for, in advance. Do you know anything about that?"

"No, Mr. Barlow, I don't.

"Did they say how it was paid?"

"An unlimited-balance credit card, to W3LC," and I saw Joss grin and slap Wade, and he was trying not to grin.

Fletch thought for a second, and he looked at Wade.

Wade nodded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barlow: you've just been Wade'd," Fletch grinned.

NO! He didn't!

"What do you mean, Fletcher?"

"He means, Mrs. Benge, that I'm helping my friend in a tough time," Wade replied for Fletch. "Joss and I already gave blood, but I thought you could use a little extra help."

OH, MY, GOD, he did it again, and I wanted to cry.

"You…paid…all of Becky's bills?" Dad asked, incredulously.

"Yes, sir."

"How?"

"We haven't met, formally: I'm Dr. Wade Load, of Team Possible."

"You…" Dad remembered our talks when I first saw his picture, and my confusion for the rest of the semester, and what he and I had talked about when Fletch was hurt.

"You'd do this…for my daughter? After everything…" and I saw something I'd never seen before:

Dad was crying!

"Yes, sir, because she's my friend, too, and friends help each other.

"When she's back up and about, I'll tutor her if she needs any help so she won't fall too far behind in her classes and stay on track to graduate on time, as well. I've got the time: my next defense will be over next month," he added as he walked over to Dad and hugged him.

Now, I wanted to cry even more.

"We'll make it through this, Mrs. Barlow," Joss said as she hugged Mom. "I'll do Becky's chores, if you need some help," and Mom laughed!

I wanted to tell Joss 'thank you' for being such a good friend, and for caring so much, but I couldn't.

I wanted to tell Wade how much this meant to me, how much his unconditional love meant to me, but I couldn't: not right now.

I'd just have to get better, and then I'd tell him.

I'd show him.

I raised my hand, and motioned for them to come over.

Mom and Dad, Wade and Joss all came over.

I held out my hand, and they all took it.

I squeezed, and Mom cried, and Joss cried, and Dad cried, and Wade smiled and winked at me.

Fletch kissed my cheek.

Oh, yea: this was gonna be a wild ride

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

I completed my dissertation defense in record time.

I guess when you saved the Area Chairman's family by terminating the Diablos just before they smashed his house (he never told me; his secretary let it slip the next day….), he's less inclined to be an arse, and he actually read my dissertation, this time.

He had some intelligent questions, and I answered all of them.

Even 'Hands' had read it, this time.

I had walked into my room when Joss' signal came thru, and I popped on a monitor to see-

"Wade! How'd it go?" I love her hair, her beautiful ice-blue eyes….

"Perfect, Joss. They actually read it, this time, and everything went fine."

"That's great, Wade!

"I've got good news, too!" and she was grinning a load.

"I aced all of my classes, and my teachers told me that I don't have to take any finals! I've got all As for the year!"

"Joss, that's wonderful!" I was so happy for her, but I knew she could do it.

"You believed in me, Wade: thank you," she said quietly, and then she smiled.

I love her smile.

I just love her.

"And, even better: I made varsity cheer squad!"

"Joss! That's amazing!"

"Yea; they were impressed by my moves," and she grinned.

"I've always been impressed by your moves, Jocelyn," and I grinned wickedly.

"Not those, big boy," she whispered with a leer.

"They liked the moves that I integrated from my training with Ron, and now they all want to study Karate!"

"Do they want to study Karate, or Ron?" and she guffawed.

"Both," she laughed, "but they'd settle for 'Ron-shine,' extra-large." She grinned.

"Joss!"

"Well, they've seen the ears, Wade."

"Yea, but how may people did you tell about the switch?"

"No one, Wade," and she got the 'serious face.'

"I was too scared to tell anyone, and, besides, they'd never have believed me."

"I told you not to touch that switch, Joss," and she looked contrite.

"I'm sorry, Wade," but then she grinned. "At least, now, I understand what I've been doing to you with my teasing," she added.

"So, why do you keep doing it?"

"Because I see what it does to you, now," and she grinned and rubbed.

"What are you complaining about? You finally got what you wanted, Wade," she grinned.

"Yea, but not how I wanted: I didn't want to be Kim, not at that time," I was blushing, and Joss was laughing.

"Yea, I'll bet being Kim for those three days was quite an experience: I've never seen mood swings like that!"

"Don't remind me," I shuddered at what I had to do those three days in Kim's body; the experience was not what I'd expected.

"Rack 'em up, Wade," she grinned as she cupped, and I groaned.

"Not again, Joss!"

"So, when do Kim and Ron find out where they finish?"

"They've got finals in three weeks, and graduation is a week after that.

"I did a bad thing, Joss," I grinned.

"I snuck in, and I know what's gonna happen to both of them based on their grades so far, and I'm not telling them."

"OOOO, Tell Me, Tell Me!"

"No, that would be wrong, Joss," And she pulled out the Big Gun: her Puppy-Dog Pout.

I disconnected, and went for an ice-water cold shower…45 minutes should do it.

-----

**Author's afterward:**

This is dedicated to the young ones lost in Colorado and Pennsylvania: I wished that we could have delivered Global Justice for them and their families….

I do not recommend attacking an armed perpetrator unless you are trained to do so or you have Mystical Monkey Power.

A very special set of thanks go out to the following:

Two writers provided immense contributions to me in the construction of this chapter, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them and their contributions:

Twila Starla challenged me to a brain-switching concept: a four-way switch! Sorry, Twila, I didn't use the four that we discussed, but I believe that this grouping will be even more fun! This intermezzo, "oops…," will be coming in the next few weeks, likely after the Fannies….

Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, for continuing to 'harass' me with humor and challenge me with new ideas, forcing me to become a better writer. Thanks, Pharaoh, for challenging me to improve.

Thank you both for giving up these great ideas and making an old man laugh out loud again after the last chapter (PRT, Joss is looking for you at the Fannies: something about kisses and whips…be wary!)

**Preview: **

Questions:

What's a premature funeral?

Answer:

Plan for someone's death, and they screw up and live.

Donna hasn't told Wade, yet: she's been waiting for multiple series of tests, but they're almost finished.

Fletcher Benge expected to die, twice, because people kept trying to kill him, and they haven't succeeded, yet.

Becky Barlow expected to die when she was shot, but she needs some answers: what was that blue thread?

These discussions, and several others, are underway, both good guys and bad, in chapter seven of Training Table Blues: Premature Funeral Celebration Blues

For all of you Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I promise to respond to all PMs as well as emails and reviews.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

- - - - - -

Enjoy Kim Possible fan fiction? Of course you do. Looking for a way to pay tribute to your favorite authors and stories? Cast your ballot for your favorites in the Second Annual Fannie Awards: browse on over to the web site: **intbike dot com slash fannie2 dot html **for details, or visit **Zaratan**'s profile. Voting ends January 31, so vote today!

- - - - - - -


	7. 7: Premature Funeral Celebration Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Questions:

What's a premature funeral?

Answer:

Plan for someone's death, and they screw up and live.

Donna hasn't told Wade, yet: she's been waiting for multiple series of tests, but they're almost finished.

Fletcher Benge expected to die, twice, because people kept trying to kill him, and they haven't succeeded, yet.

Becky Barlow expected to die when she was shot, but she needs some answers: what was that blue thread?

These discussions, and several others, are underway, both good guys and bad, in chapter seven of Training Table Blues: Premature Funeral Celebration Blues

-----

Chapter 7: Premature Funeral Celebration Blues

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

Archives and logs of Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esq.

Archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load

Diary of Rebecca (Becky Barlow) Benge

Archives and logs of Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana

Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load

-----

**(Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esq.)**

Every male in the parking lot knew that sound.

Heck, every male in Middleton knew that sound and coveted it (sorry, Bug Guy, but we do…).

We all lusted after one of those cars and would almost trade their girlfriends for one. I knew it was a definite "almost" in my case: when you had had the most beauticious, badical fiancée in the world for the last five months, you wouldn't trade her for all the Nacos and extra cheese in the world!

But, it was the last week of school, and the sound was turning into the school parking lot.

Jet-black with chrome down the mid-line on both sides.

It was a Jedi 5000: only the most badical car that Gourd or anyone else had ever made.

And, it even looked like the Special Edition!

Oh, man….

It pulled up to the sidewalk, and the purring of its engine stopped. The driver door gull-winged, and out stepped:

"Mankey-boy! DUDE! This is yours?" Five voices asked at the same time. Joss Mankey stepped out, a custom black Meezod shirt, black leather pants, and black high leather boots, the whole outfit topped off with a pair of shades that had to have cost $500.00.

"Not mine: it's hers," as he opened the door, and a drop-dead gorgeous pair of legs in fishnet stockings and what had to be 4-inch heels came out.

Tongues were burning on the asphalt: mostly male, but some female, as well….

The rest of the body exited: a black leather micro-skirt, a spray-on white blouse showing a wonderfully inordinate amount of cleavage ('Gotta be a cheerleader,' was the thought of most of the guys.), and the platinum-blonde hair fell to the chest and framed the girls wonderfully.

Guys all around wanted to be that hair.

The face was hidden for a moment by the hair and a matching pair of shades, and then she lifted her beautifully-manicured hands (1-inch silver nails) and removed the shades.

"TARA?"

"Hi, Ron," she purred like the Jedi engine. "You like the car?"

"A lot less than what just stepped out of it," was the truth.

"RON!" and she giggled. "You're already taken by a gorgeous redhead, and I'd never, ever, consider trying to take the man of a member of the cheer-sisterhood," and she giggled, again.

"But, thank you for the compliment, Ron," and she leaned over and kissed my cheek, "You're sweet," and she then turned and looked at Josh, who immediately smiled.

"Josh, park me somewhere safe."

"Yes, Tara," and he closed her door, ran around the car, and jumped in, his door closing as he started the engine. He peeled out like a potato, looking for a parking space like a pile of French fries looking for hot grease to jump into.

"Tara, when…how did you get that car?" My jaw was still on the ground.

"I've been working on the side, Ron," and she took my hand in hers.

I giggled: her hands were beautiful, but they weren't as lovely as the rest of the package.

"RON!"

oops…

"Hey, KP," but I was safe because KP and Monique were staring at Tara.

"Tara! GF, that outfit is TDF!" came from Monique, and Kim nodded vigorously.

"You like?"

"It's not Banana, but I like."

"Actually, Mon, it is: Club Banana Custom, the line that you can only get in Dallas, Go City, or New York."

"Girl, that outfit had to set you back some heavy Claude. How'd you pull that outfit and the car off?"

"Teaching," Tara said simply and winked, and both Monique and Kim looked perplexed for a moment, then had an A-HA moment, and all three girls laughed uproariously as they all walked into the building.

"Rufus?" and my favorite Naked Mole Rat popped up, munching a Mini-Corn Dog.

"Do you know what just happened?" and he stared at me like I was an idiot, and replied:

"NUH-UH!" and went back to his Mini-Corn Dog.

"Me neither, little buddy," and I walked into the building.

"Wait! Where'd you find that corn dog?" I asked, and Rufus grinned and dived back into my pocket, and I could still hear him munching.

Then, the empty stick flew out of my pocket with 5 siblings, all empty, and there was a giant "BUUURRRRPPPP!" that emitted from my pocket, followed by a tiny "sorry" and an equally-tiny giggle…

…and I walked into the doors for one of the last times in my high school career.

"RONALD!"

Oh, man.

"Yes, Mr. Barkin?"

"You're on time: Good

"Come into my office.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Ran thru my mind as I followed him into his office, and he closed the door behind me with a SLAM!

"Stoppable," he growled as he sat down, and then he-

SMILED????

"This is for you," and he handed me an envelope and indicated to me to open it.

I looked on the front: the return address was Middleton Institute of Technology.

I opened the envelope and pulled out the huge package of material.

I knew what that meant, even before I read the letter:

"BOOYAH! The Ron-Man's in the House!"

Then, I read the letter to myself:

Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, yada, yada, yada, thank you for applying, yada, yada, yada, Congratulations on your acceptance to our new Culinary Program, yada, yada, yada, looking forward to having you here, yada, yada, yada, 100 per cent scholarship, room, board, fees, and books included, yada, yada, yada….

WHAT?

I looked up at Mr. Barkin, and he was grinning worse than Rufus at the ranch when he found that full Cheddar Wheel (HEY!).

"Congratulations, Ronald: you've improved more in the last year than any other student I've ever had the pleasure of working with," and he stood and extended his hand. I shook it, still in shock.

"And, thank you for all that you've done, for your country, for Colorado, for Brick's school in Montana, for Middleton," and he drew back his hand and saluted me.

I snapped a return salute, and he grinned.

"Now, get to class: I've still got chances for you to have more homework," and I headed out of his office post-haste.

I would have sworn I heard him say "God speed, Ronald," when I closed the door, but I wasn't sure because I let out a yell and slung my fist to the sky in triumph:

"BOO-YAH!" And, several people looked, but just walked away, grinning.

Time to get me some KP….

-----

**(Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana)**

I had gone by to see Carl Butler before the high school incident; he was smug and cocky.

I came by a few days afterwards; his attitude was significantly subdued.

I got a report that he had been attacked by one of the survivors of the high school action, and was now in the prison hospital. I went by to see him there, and his lawyer was, of course present.

He had been beaten and stabbed with a shank and kicked and bitten: you name it, they did it to him, trying to get rid of him.

I decided to play dumb, even though we had a video of the action.

"Carl! My goodness, what happened?"

"You know: your plants tried to kill me," he responded.

"Not mine, Carl: buddies of yours, most of which are at the morgue now."

"So I heard.

"It took GJ to take us, huh?" and he smirked.

"A mixed GJ and DCI force took them."

"Was 'he' involved?" and I knew who he was talking about: Wade.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss actions until I receive the appropriate orders from the judge, Carl.

"Hope you're ready: they release you back to the general population in three days," and Carl got agitated.

"I ain't goin' back there!" he rattled his handcuffs against the bedrail.

"What will it take to get me somewhere safe?"

"My client does not know what he is requesting, Agent Claremore, so I believe this has to stop, now."

"Fine," and I turned to walk away.

"NO! WAIT!" Carl yelled out.

I turned, and he was crying.

"I don't want to die," he moaned, and he waved his lawyer to the side.

"What do I have to do, Agent Claremore?"

"Your attorney has the offer, but he told us you turned it down.

"I did before; I'm taking it, now."

"NO, CARL!" his lawyer was livid.

"Get me some paper and a pen, or you're fired and I'll have my next lawyer file for your disbarment.

"How much?" he asked when he got the paper.

"All of it," and I produced a tape recorder that I started and provided a disclaimer as to contents and described the suspect's mental and physical condition, then let him talk.

-----

**(Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load)**

I'd spent a lot of time with Becky's mom; she took the shooting real hard, but she never told anyone but me. Why she decided to confide in me, I'm not sure…maybe it was a Wade thing….

"Jocelyn, when they came to the door and told me what had happened, I knew that my daughter was going to die. I just knew it, and I couldn't do anything about it, so I just got myself ready for her funeral," she told me one chilly mid-April afternoon over a hot chocolate at MoonNickels'.

"How were you so sure that she was going to live, Jocelyn?"

"I had seen her and Fletch together, Mrs. Barlow, and I knew that she would be there for him no matter what.

"'Check my name:' anything's possible for a friend of a Possible," I told her, and she laughed and cried at the same time, reaching across the table and taking my hand.

"Bless you, child, and bless Wade, too," she whispered, trying to hold the tears in.

"I called the hospital and asked how much the charges were so far, and the lady at the other end told me:

"Mrs. Barlow, Dr. Load left explicit instructions that we were not to tell you the cost of your daughter's care. He told us that he expected that you would call, more out of curiosity than anything else, and he gave us this message for you:

"'Mrs. Barlow: it's only money, and it's nowhere near as important as your daughter. Don't worry about it, and call me or tell Joss if you need anything. This is my way of taking care of Stephanie's brothers and sisters.'"

I started to cry: he hadn't told me that he'd left a message or anythin'.

'Wade, you've been a'holdin' out on me,' I thought with a big inside smile as my tears came down outside.

"Who is Stephanie?" Mrs. Barlow asked, and I held up my hand until I could stop crying my tears of joy.

"Mrs. Barlow, I can tell you a little about her. She was a young lady, not much older than Becky and me, and she met Wade when he was nine. She killed herself," and she gasped, "after she was sexually molested by drug dealers and users and became pregnant," I didn't tell her that it was her own foster father, "and, she had been staying with Wade and his parents, part-time. She was working on her PhD at 15, and her foster parents used her living expenses as their money so they could get drugs and alcohol. She decided that she had no other way out, and Wade, at nine, had to confirm her identity to the police in the morgue.

"He's a supergenius, Mrs. Barlow, and he's lived with the belief that he couldn't help her on his heart for all these years. He knows that he couldn't do anything about it then, but he can do something about it, now.

"He truly does have a heart of gold for everyone; everyone, that is, except drug dealers," and I grinned.

"He'll tell you 'I'm part of Team Possible: this is what we do,' but that's the real reason, Mrs. Barlow, he'll help Becky regardless of what she said to me or about him.

"That, and one other thing," I smiled real big. "Wade loves me, and he'll do just about anything for me and my friends, Mrs. Barlow, including Fletch and Becky."

"Fletch?" she looked confused for a second, then she got a real big shocked look on her face, and I nodded.

"Your young man's an angel, Jocelyn," she stated, and I agreed with her.

My hero.

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

I hadn't talked to Dr. Donna in months, so when she called me that Tuesday in mid-June and told me that she needed to see Joss and I that Saturday at noon in her office, dressed in business attire please, and she wouldn't tell me why, I thought the worst.

I spent the rest of the week worrying and panicking: what had happened that she couldn't or wouldn't tell me?

I was worried about her, her husband, her children…they were all far too nice to be without a wife and mother.

I was afraid it was a discussion of her will, or worse.

I was afraid that she was saying goodbye to her office; she had made it longer than the dates that she had given me, before, when she told me about the cancer….

I called Joss, and she came in on the last flight Friday night before (in my active mind, at least) that dreaded day.

We worked some more that night (yes, we did something besides cuddling!) on the business plan, financial estimates, and projected people needs, and we also worked some more on Joss' idea for her name:

She had narrowed the choices down to 5 options, but I still liked her first choice. We talked some more about, bounced it off Mom and Dad (Mom liked the active visual that my favorite gave, and she offered to do a prototype design for it! I love my mother…and her mad artistic skills, among all of the thousands of reasons!), then we called Slim and Betty (for some reason, when Joss told her dad that she was leaving for the weekend, Betty's schedule miraculously changed to allow her to spend the weekend with Slim…hmmm; but, that's not important: NOT!).

We had talked to Kim and Ron during the year about the idea that we first floated with them the past summer, and they told Joss that they were also working on an improved logo and establishing a non-profit corporation for what Team Possible did and will continue to do (with some new faces: Jim and Tim had turned out to actually interested in what their big sister had been doing, even after all the abuse that they gave her and Ron: the few missions that they had gone on had fueled the taste for excitement as much as the J-Series of rocket fuels that their Dad had brought home). They were actually pretty good, too, but don't tell them I said that: their heads were big enough, and I'd have to bring out Joss' IQ to bring them down a notch or 10….

Kim had asked me not to tell Joss what Team Possible was doing, and I struggled a long time with that. I understood why, but I was still conflicted for a few weeks until I talked it out with Kim, and then I talked to Joss.

Joss and I worked it out between us (it only cost me two dozen red and yellow roses; a small price to pay for my Queen's happiness and favor). Joss understood; after all, she was there when we all agreed to the parameters of my efforts on both teams, but she still threw the book at me, I think (hope) more out of her frustration for not realizing it than for actual anger (literally…note to self: if you're going to make Joss mad, make sure that all removable and heavy objects are out of her reach).

We took the tube in to Donna's office late that morning, and we arrived promptly at noon. Shelly, Dr. Jackson's nurse, wasn't there (It looked like she had just left for the day, considering her computer had just powered down when we walked into the office.

I looked at Joss. She smiled, kissed my cheek, took my hand, and we were ready.

I knocked, and the door swung open to darkness.

"Hello, Wade," I heard Donna's voice, raspier that before, and I cringed and squeezed Joss' hand.

I heard a click, and someone lit a candle. The light flickered in the room, revealing shapes sitting behind Donna and a large empty space where her desk had always been.

I smelled something, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Donna?" My voice cracked.

"Wade," and she moved towards me, and I could hear her chair rolling on the floor.

"Wade," she repeated, and she STOOD!

I heard several clicks, and the room was becoming aglow in candlelight.

I saw Donna's conference room table (now sitting in her office!), covered in food and candles.

I saw Donna's husband, their kids, and Shelly all behind the table, standing behind the just-lit candles, and they all had huge grins on their faces.

"What…?" and Donna walked to me and hugged me.

"It's over, Wade," and Joss giggled.

"It's all gone: the cancer is gone, Wade," and I tried not to cry (I'd told myself that I wouldn't cry!), but this was not what I expected, and it escaped: I cried for her pain, now gone.

"When…?"

"Christmas Morning. My doctor called me and told me that it was gone, Wade, and I blame it on you," she smiled, and Joss giggled, again.

I finally figured it out.

I turned to Joss.

"YOU KNEW?" and she gave me a sheepish grin and nodded.

"How do you think I got the ticket so fast, Wade?

"Donna and I have been planning this for two months, Wade.

"Besides, payback for the Team Possible holdout, guy," and she gave me an angelic smile with horns on it.

Music came on in the room, and Donna held out her hands.

"May I have this dance, my hero, because you saved me…seriously," and we laughed, and I took her hands and danced with my therapist.

She dances divinely.

I looked around her, and I saw her husband dancing with Joss, and she was enjoying it based on the huge smile on her face.

Their kids were dancing with each other (sorta!), and the candle flames were dancing along with us, as well.

"I'm so happy for you, Donna, and so mad at you for not telling me!" I whispered as we danced.

"I wanted to get in shape for this moment, Wade: this is your preparatory dance for your wedding, and I had to see if you inherited your Dad's dancing skills.

"You're not doing too bad, guy," and I twirled her (not an easy feat when she was three inches taller than me).

"Show-off," she replied to the twirl.

"What happened to your desk?"

"I'm moving into new digs, closer to the house and the airport; I'm getting more and more GJ business for prospective agents, and the office there will be a lot more secure and more convenient to the airport.

"Plus," she grinned as we ended the dance, "I'll have a tube connecting directly to my waiting room: no more outside trips," and I bowed to her when the music stopped.

"Let's have lunch," A voice behind me stated, and I turned around to see-

"Aww, man, Donna, you even told Kim and Ron before you told me?" and the two of them, standing and framed by the doorway, smiled and nodded.

"Wade, it's all about you," Ron grinned as I pouted.

"Come on over, Wade," and Donna pulled me to the table. "I made all of your favorites: crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, blackened trout, Cajun mud salad, and, of course, for dessert," and she lifted the lid of the platter, and I groaned.

"Joss- and Wade-shine," and everyone laughed.

"and sparkling grape juice, Jocelyn," and it was my turn to laugh.

"Juice lush," I whispered, and she hit me.

"Kim," Donna smiled as we went to the table, "I understand you had a really good Christmas, also," and Kim smiled and flashed her ring.

-----

**(Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana)**

I had finally finished all of the paperwork from the school attack and the resultant shootings of the drug dealers; the four that survived, the ones that had been at the barn, pled out as soon as they could and were up for sentencing in a few months.

The drugs that we found at their homes and storage buildings were more than double the amount that we had recovered in Justin-1, and the cash, automatic weapons, and plastic explosives were more than enough to get the AG's attention.

I had no problem doing what Wade had asked; in fact, I'd already started to float the idea before he contacted me.

This is when I love this job.

-----

It was mid-July, a hot, sticky day, when I went up to the hospital to see Fletcher Benge and Becky Barlow. They had had their 15 minutes of fame: Girlfriend who is willing to die for her boyfriend and throws herself in front of a hail of bullets: I loved the press; really, I did.

"Hello, Melisandretti," and it was Wade and Kim and Ron and Joss, all together. Their presence alone in the state should take the crime rate down 15 percentage points.

"Hello, y'all," and I herded them to the door.

"You got it all, Mel?" Wade asked, and I nodded.

"Spankin,'" was his response, and Joss and Kim both giggled as we rode the elevator up.

-----

I knocked, and entered when I heard a faint 'come in.'

"Hello, Becky, Fletcher," I smiled as Fletcher stood when I came in. He's been sitting on the bed next to Becky, and there were mussed clothes and hair, and Becky was smiling way too much.

"Hello, Agent Claremore…JOSS!" and Becky held out her arms, and Joss ran over to hug her.

"Wade, my man!" Fletcher shook his hand, and then realized who else was with them.

"Kim! Ron!" and he tried to hug them both, and he partially succeeded.

"Wade," Becky said with a smile, and she held out her arms. Wade walked over and leaned forward a bit.

"That's not gonna do, mister," and she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he almost made her laugh when he responded,

"'No Big,' Becky."

"If I may interrupt for a moment," I cleared my throat as I watched them all separate and look at me, "I did come here for a reason," and I pulled a folder out of my carry-bag and opened it.

"Fletcher, I have a check for you from CrimeNabbers: they heard what you did, and they wanted to reward you," and I handed the shocked young man a check.

"Unfortunately, it's not a real check: the money's in a trust account for you that your parents can access, but I don't think that you'll have any problems," I grinned as he opened the envelope, pulled out the check, and fell back onto the bed.

"Careful!" Becky yelped, and Fletcher fell into her lap, grinning like an idiot.

"What's wrong, Fletch?" and Becky took the check from him, read it, and almost choked.

"One…Hundred…Thousand…Dollars?" and Joss gasped, and then she whacked Wade, hard, on the arm.

"OWW!"

"Because you knew, that's why," she answered before he asked, and he rubbed his arm as Kim laughed with Joss and Ron.

Oh, yea, married for at least 25 years, already.

"I have another package; this time, Becky, it's for you," and I handed her a large manila envelope stuffed, it seemed, with papers.

Becky opened the envelope and pulled out the letter on the top of the stack.

"Who are Victims of Violence?"

"It's an organization in the Northwest that helps people that are victims of violent attacks, Becky," and Joss knew it as well as I did as she answered Becky.

Becky read down the letter and dropped both the package and the letter into her lap, and then she started crying, hard.

"BECKY!" Joss hugged her.

"What is it, BB?" Joss asked, and Becky picked up the piece of paper.

"I'm…some…sort of…hero, Joss, and they want me to speak around the state against violence, and they've given me a free ride four-year college scholarship if I do it!" and she started crying, again.

"I'm no hero," Becky finally was able to get out after she was finally calmer.

"Wrong, BB: you're my hero," Fletcher corrected her, and he kissed her tenderly.

"Gee, where have we seen that before?" Ron dead-panned, and Kim laughed and pointed at Wade and Joss. Joss, now of the full-blush brigade, did the only logical thing to her:

She kissed Wade, and I think she curled his toes and his hair, even more than it already was.

"Fletch, would you do me a favor and take Mel downstairs? I need to ask Kim and Ron something personal," Becky seemed more aware, more alive now than she had been a few minutes before.

"Sure, BB. Mel?" and he offered me his arm, and I took it.

"How long?"

"At least 30 minutes: call ahead for reservations," she smirked, and he grinned, kissed her forehead, and we left the room to a confused Joss and a very-worried Ron and Kim and Wade.

-----

**Rebecca (Becky Barlow) Benge **

I wanted an explanation to the dreams that had been haunting me.

I could see the wide blue band connecting and enveloping Ron and Kim, a second, slightly narrower blue band, connecting and enveloping the two of them and Wade and Joss, and a third wide band connecting and enveloping Wade and Joss, and a final blue band that connected all of us.

"What is it, BB?" Joss asked,

But, before I hit them, they had to understand where I was coming from: I owed them that much….

"I haven't told anyone else this, ok? Mainly because no one would believe me," and I took a deep breath, and started….

"After I passed out, I didn't remember anything until I saw a real bright light.

"I reached for it, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ceiling in the operating room. That hunky doctor was just masking up, so I know it was him, and then I went thru the ceiling and was over the school!

"Joss, I say you fire your grappler and the leg sweep that you did to take that guy out," and Joss gasped.

"I saw Stephen take the lady out with a punch, and I watched her fall into the hay bales.

"Then, I was back in the hospital and saw Wade run into the closet, and then I saw what happened in the closet," and I heard Ron suck wind, big time.

"I felt a warm, loving feeling; love, itself, was wrapped around me, and I heard a voice tell me that it wasn't my time, yet, that I had a long time, now, before I would be called Home. I don't ever want to lose that 'lovin' feeling,' again," and I saw Wade wince

"I was back in the operating room, and I heard the surgeon say that he swore that my spinal column was ripped, but it was intact."

And then I grinned and tossed the hand grenade into the waste treatment plant:

"What did you do, and why are there all of these blue bands connecting all of us in different ways?"

Jaws dropped from Joss and Kim, and Wade and Ron looked like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Wade started.

"Becky, do you have any ancestors from Asia?"

"None that I know of; my mom's great-grandparents were full-blood Cherokee, but that's all I know about them," and Wade pulled out his handheld and hit several buttons, then looked at Ron.

"One more thing, guys: why do I keep having this dream of Ron, floating?" and Ron nodded, and Wade hit one final button, and the lights went out in my room and revealed the blue bands.

Enough light came back on, and Ron was holding a sword, but his pants had fallen to the ground, and his KP boxers were cute! Even cuter: Ron was blushing!

Fletch, if it wasn't for you….

"oh, man," came from Ron's mouth as Kim reached down to pull his pants up, but she spent an awfully long time around that zipper.

I grinned: I'd wanted to try that with Fletcher….

"How much have you read about what KP and I have done, Becky?" and he held the blade like it was an old friend.

"I've read some of what you and Kim have done, Ron, but I was lots more interested in what you were doing," and Ron's face turned red. "No offense, Kim, but I had a huge crush on Ron for the longest time. I wanted him to leave you and run away with me," and, now, Ron's ears were turning redder, and Kim and Joss both grinned.

Must be a common problem: Ron-Worship….

"Why, Ron?"

"Becky, this is the Lotus Blade," and he held the blade at chest-level.

Man, look at those abs….

"What can I tell her?" He asked the air, and the air responded!

"She has partaken; she may hear; she will not tell," came from space in front of Ron's face.

"Becky, are you sure you want to know?"

"Ron, from you, anything," I smiled, and Joss giggled, and Kim looked like she was jellin', big time, but that disappeared in a matter of seconds, and she smiled and touched Ron's arm.

"Becky, you were going to die."

Well, that answered that question. Thanks for the direct approach, Ron. I sniffled back tears of fear, gladness, relief, joy for life, and for new friends

"What you did for your boyfriend was the key to your living.

"You were healed, but I couldn't do as much as I wanted to do," and Ron looked sad.

"Why, Ron?"

"Because it would have cost him his life, and self-termination is not allowed," the voice responded to me, and I couldn't stop the tears, now.

"Ron…you were willing…to die…for me?" I barely got out before I lost it totally, again.

"It's what we do at Team Possible, Becky: Kim and I put our lives on the line all the time; it's just that most people don't know it.

"You weren't supposed to know, Becky, and I hope you don't hate me for what I did."

"RON!" Now, I understood why Mom would get so mad at Dad sometimes….

"How could I hate you for saving my life?"

"I couldn't heal you completely, yet, Becky," ad Ron looked down at his feet: he was ashamed of what he'd done!

"Ron, c'mere," and he walked over to me, slowly.

I reached up and pulled his face down to mine and kissed Ron Stoppable on the mouth!

In front of his fiancée!

"Ron, I owe you so much more than that, but that's all I can ever pay," I said when he finally escaped. "I'd give you the world if I could, but you're engaged, and I'm still jail bait," and I grinned through the attempted tears, "but that's all I can pay you, Ron, for my life," and I teared up a little.

"Thank you, Ron, for my life," and the water started.

"Why do I keep hearing that same phrase whenever Ron's around?" Wade sounded exasperated, but one look at him told me otherwise: he was prouder than proud.

"Applies to you, my hero," Joss grinned and took Wade's hand, and the blue band connecting them glowed magnificently.

Kim took it all extremely well: she didn't toss me from my bed; to the contrary, she came over and kissed my forehead!

"I'm just glad you're here, Becky, and I'm glad we could help, but you did most of it, yourself," she smiled.

"How…did?"

"Your selflessness, your willingness to put yourself in front of Fletcher Benge, saved him: that act of giving was the payment for your recovery, Rebecca Benge," came from the voice.

"Rebecca…Benge?" and I smiled real big, and Joss giggled.

"Soon you will be, Rebecca," and the voice gave me a peek into my future that I treasured then and still treasure now.

I couldn't get the smile off my face, now.

"So, are you ready to go to work?" Wade asked, and I looked at him, more than a bit confused.

"You've got those books to catch up on, young lady, and we're here to get you back on schedule, among other things," he smiled, and Joss squeezed his hand, again, and the blue was almost blinding.

"Geez, can't y'all get a room?" I pouted (because I wanted what they had!), and all four laughed!

"Not until we're 18, Becky," Wade responded, and I wiggled my finger at him.

"Wade?" I purred, and Joss got the green-eyes!

"Yes, Becky?" and he came over to the side of the bed….

I KISSED WADE LOAD ON THE CHEEK!

I KISSED A BLACK MAN!

Gosh, he's cute! I never noticed before…now I knew what Jen meant when she said she wanted one of him, and I grinned as Wade looked surprised and shocked at what I'd done.

"Wade, I apologized to my mother and my grandmother for rejecting my heritage, rejecting my Native American past.

"I owe you an apology, too. Wade, I'm so very sorry for everything I did and said.

"I owe you as much, if not more, Wade, than I owe Ron, but that's all I can pay, as well.

"Can you ever in a million forgive me?"

"They apologize to my BF, and they kiss my BF," pouted Joss.

"That's what you get for having the best dark chocolate there is," Wade dead-panned, and I nearly spit water all over them: my mistake of getting a drink for my throat.

"Works for me," Joss replied and pulled him to her and kissed him.

"Works for me, too," Kim added as she did the same to Ron.

"HEY! What about me?" It was my turn to pout, and I felt a brush on my cheek.

"How was that?" the voice laughed, and I looked at Ron and Kim, who now were laughing.

"Hey: we have an understanding of your emotions," the voice added.

"Yes, Becky, I forgive you. I told you before, I'll help you because you're a friend of my Joss, and that's good enough for me.

"Anything else is gravy," Wade grinned and then yelped when Joss smacked his arm, then kissed his cheek.

Then, I had a thought:

"What do I tell Fletch?"

"Tell him all, Rebecca. You and he are joined," and I noticed the faint blue line leading out of the room.

"But no others must know," the voice warned, and the lights snapped back on, and the blue lines faded into nothingness.

I noticed the beeping, now.

"Won't Mel and Fletch be worried?"

"Look at the clock, Becky," and Wade pointed.

Less than a minute had ticked off the clock!

-----

**(Dr. Melisandretti Claremore, Former Attorney-General of the Great State of Montana)**

Wade wanted to talk to Becky: even I could see that.

I could also see that Fletcher Benge was busying watching his girlfriend **and** me.

'Damn, girl, you still got it, if a high-school guy finds you attractive!' and that brought an internal smile.

"How about lunch; something besides cafeteria food?" I asked him, and he got a big grin.

"Sorry, can't do that, but I can do the next best thing," and I popped open my phone and dialed a number.

"This is Agent Claremore, Montana DCI."

Silence.

"Yes; the usual, and to drink?" I looked at Fletcher, and he mouthed 'root beer,' and grinned.

"Two big root beers."

Silence.

"Ten minutes? Thank you. I'm at the hospital in the cafeteria," and the laughter almost flushed my eardrums.

"Thanks," and I closed the phone.

"It's a surprise," I told him, and I patted the chair next to me, and Fletcher sat down.

"Mrs. Claremore," he began, and I headed him off at the pass.

"Mel."

"Mel," he said back to me, and smiled.

"Mel, I have to tell someone besides the shrinks, and I think you'll understand, being in law enforcement and all," he started, and I nodded for him to continue.

Fletcher took a deep breath, then another.

"Fletcher," and he cut me off.

"Fletch," he smiled.

"Mel, I almost lost her," and his face wound up tight, real fast. I knew who he was talking about, and was ready for his next statement: I knew it would be his hardest.

"She pushed me to the ground and took two bullets in the side, and she stood there for the longest time, looking at her sweater turning red, and I wanted to die, right then.

"I wished I had died that night when you first found me, Mel, because then she wouldn't have been shot, she wouldn't have almost died, and she'd be able to walk," and he fell into me, sobbing likely for the first time about his own shooting and hers, as well.

"It's all my fault, Mel, and she apologized to me!

"She apologized for pushing me to the ground!

"She apologized for getting her blood on me!

"Mel," and he lost it, again, and I held him tight.

"How?"

"'How,' what, Fletch?"

"How can I tell her how much she means to me, Mel? I'm just a kid full of 'hornmones,' as my dad tells me, but I know that she's my 'only.'

"Well, Fletch, the first thing a girl wants is for you to pay attention to her; so, not checking out my butt would be a great first start," I smiled, and Fletch turned Joss' hair color.

"Thank you, though, Fletch," and I kissed his cheek, "for making me feel like I've still 'got it.'"

"Oh, Mel, you most definitely still 'have it,'" he grinned, and it was my turn to blush.

Luckily, the food came:

"OH, WOW!" and he opened the pizza box to sniff the jumbo pepperoni, onion, and double jalepeno pizza, and he grabbed a slice and almost inhaled it.

"Oh, wow…I'm sorry, Mel, but I've wanted Charlie's Pizza for weeks!

"Would you like a slice?" and he pulled out one of the paper napkins, draped it over his arm, and stood and bowed deeply.

I couldn't help it:

I giggled.

"Yes, sir, I'd like a slice," and he reached in and handed me a slice supported by a napkin.

I bit into the slice, and felt sauce slide down my mouth. I wiped it with the napkin, and looked up to see Fletch smiling real big.

"What?"

"I was just envying that napkin, Mel," he grinned, and I could feel my face turn red.

"FLETCH!" and he looked hurt, but that changed when I smiled.

"Bad Fletch," I mock-scolded, and he pouted, but that disappeared when he dove into another pizza slice.

We got about halfway through the pizza when Fletch was ready to talk, again.

"Mel, have you ever been so scared that you wet…you know," and he got real embarrassed.

"Yes, Fletch; anyone who's ever been shot at or been beaten who tells you otherwise is lying through their ass, because their mouth knows better," I replied, and Fletch shot pizza crust over my blouse.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" and he wiped my chest, then stopped suddenly when he looked up at my face and suddenly realized where his hand was, and he drew it back like it was burning.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" and he blushed even more as I brushed the crumbs off.

"It's all right, Fletch," I smiled. "Just don't try that brushing with my husband or Becky around: either might take some fingers from you," I reminded him as I handed him a cold root beer and another napkin, and he grinned.

"I've done it a few times," I told Fletch, "and I've seen bigger men that you stand there with a large wet spot appearing when they realized that the bullet missed their skull by millimeters."

"When they beat me, Mel, I was so scared that I did it, and they laughed at me.

"When Becky passed out in my arms, Mel, I did it, again, only I was in a hospital gown.

"They wanted to kill me, Mel, and I wasn't going to die: I wanted to see BB again.

"I wanted to die, Mel, when I thought she wasn't gonna make it.

"I didn't want to live without her, Mel.

"I couldn't live without her.

"When she came out of surgery, I stayed up with her and talked to her.

"I told her I loved her, and that I wanted us to get married when we went to college, and I'd figure out a way to make it work, even if I had to work while she went.

"I barely slept; my doctor had to order me to bed once so I could git strong enough to sit with her, again, and I went willingly with the nurse when he gave me that logic.

"Then, you came in today, and you-" and he stopped and tried to compose himself…

"You came and took that weight off of Becky's shoulders about college. Thank you, Mel."

"Fletch, how about you; after you got shot?" and he became stoic.

"I don't remember much, Mel; I remember talking to Becky, and I remember a bad pain in my chest, and then I guess I blacked out.

"BB told me what Wade did, Mel," and he stopped again to compose himself, "about having Dr. Anne flown in; I remember, after I passed out, hearing singing.

"Singing?"

"Singing," he repeated.

"A beautiful brunette-haired angel was singing 'O, Holy Night,' and I was watching her from some spot high above her; she had an eye patch, I remember that. I cried at the wonder of her voice, her message, her love that she gave that song.

"And, then, another beautiful angel, a redhead this time, and younger than the first, started singing the next verse. I couldn't help myself: I cried, again, because the love in her voice was so wonderful, so open and honest.

"A voice behind me told me that it was not yet my time, but I could stay and hear all of the song of praise until it was time for me to go back, and I stayed and heard the two angels sing together.

"My God, I had never heard anything so wonderful, and I cried, and I didn't care who saw me.

"The voice told me, 'Fletch, it's time. Go back, and take care of Rebecca: she a special young lady, and she's going to be with you for a long time,' and I was above my body when the last shock hit me, and I jumped back in.

"Mel, am I crazy?"

'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,' I thought, and I answered him.

"No, Fletch, you're not crazy.

"And, I doubt you were dreaming, either. I've seen some strange things in my time in DCI, especially involving members of the tribes, so nothing surprises me.

"But, I've got good news for you, Fletch, and it has nothing to do with car insurance," he winced at the horror of the poor joke, and I laughed at his response..

"You never heard the last 'goody,' Fletch." And it was my turn, Wade, to spread the joy….

"The Montana AG took an interest in your case, especially after he saw the results of the drug bust from your 'encounter' and the results of the latest drug bust involving the kidnappers at the school," I added.

"He talked personally with your counselors; and, if you're interested, he'd like to offer you a Founders' full-ride scholarship to Montana Eastern to study law enforcement," and I thought Fletch was going to pass out.

"Deep breaths, Fletch, deep breaths," I coached him, and he began to breath regularly after a few minutes.

"Me?" his voice squeaked in surprise, and I nodded.

"You've helped us take over five million dollars worth of drugs off the streets of Montana, Fletch. The AG thinks you might have a future with us, if you're interested in it," and I smiled, again.

"Did you tell me this to take my mind off of my fear?"

"Pretty much; that, and my boss wants to know, and so do your parents."

"My parents know?"

"For a few weeks."

"I'm a'gonna kill them," he mumbled with a grin.

"Not a good start to a law enforcement career, Fletch," and we laughed, together.

"You better, Fletch?"

"Yea, I am, Mel.

"Thank you, Mel," and he took my hand and kissed it.

Now, I was blushing, big time.

"Shall we go back and see what your girlfriend's done to Wade, Fletch?" and I stood, and he offered me his arm, and I took it, and took his root beer and mine in the other hand.

We were a sight: a young man, walking with a cane, escorting a woman in a tailored pin-stripe suit and very low heels, carrying two partially-consumed root beers.

-----

**(Dr. Wade Load)**

I was pleasantly surprised for several reasons.

One: Becky Barlow had kissed me.

Two: Joss hadn't strangled either of us.

Three: Becky had just heard enough to send the average person screaming from the room (well, she couldn't get up, but that's not important), and she'd embraced the whole idea of the Lotus Blade and its avatar.

I had suspected that she was part Cherokee (ok, I'll admit it: I'd done her genealogy and knew it, but I hadn't known about her rejection); I wasn't surprised that she had rejected her own heritage (saddened, but not surprised), but I was very pleasantly surprised that she'd apologized to her mother and grandmother.

I hadn't expected the kiss.

It was nice, but it wasn't Joss-shine….

"Becky, I'm so happy that I have my friend back," Joss smiled, and she went over and hugged Becky, and she leaned real close to Becky and whispered something to her.

It must have been good, because both she and Becky laughed hard and long.

"Well, did y'all have a nice talk?" Fletch asked when he entered the room with Mel, and they saw chairs pulled around Becky's bed: Joss sitting on the end of the bed looking as if she's just finished saying something important (she had that little wrinkle in her brow when she did that, I'd noticed before: after all, I was hers, and I paid attention…most of the time), and Kim was sitting in Ron's lap: both of them were laughing.

"It was an accident!" Joss almost shouted, and Becky was laughing hard, and Kim and Ron were…well, let's say they had decided that something else was more important than laughter….

"A-HEM!" Mel cleared her throat, and Kim jumped off of Ron's lap, blushing dramatically, and now Ron was laughing.

"Kim!"

"Mel!"

Josh yelled and motioned for both of them to come over, and the four ladies huddled, giggled, then laughed out loud, and Joss reached back and pulled out her PosComm.

"Guys, we have a date back here, same time tomorrow, so you need to leave, now!" Joss announced, and Becky and Kim nodded their agreement.

"Mel, we need you to stay," Joss added, and the three of us (Fletch, Ron, and yours truly) left the room like dogs leaving a full bowl.

As the door closed, I heard the start of a Bonnie Tyler tune…

-----

I talked to Joss after she got back to the hotel and wormed what was happening out of her, and, as usual, I super-sized the idea. A couple of calls to the ladies and the gentlemen and the hospital, and we were set for one week from Saturday.

I called Gregory Claremore and asked him to meet us at our hotel, and he came over for the evening while the ladies were occupied elsewhere. We had burgers and fries and beer (well, for Ron and Gregory, anyway: Fletch, who we'd sprung from then hospital for the evening, and I had NIC's Draft Root Beer, cold, from the bottle).

I told them my idea and had them listen to the song that the ladies had picked out.

It wasn't on their top 10 lists (Gregory actually knew it and had a copy at home that was his ('I admit it, I like the song, but Bonnie is hot!' he explained, and Ron almost choked on his beer when he laughed. At least, it wasn't a spit-take….), but Ron and Fletch, they actually liked it, and they liked the idea of the show.

We all agreed on what to wear, and we even got an outfit for Fletch that fit him perfectly.

I'll never be that tall and slender, but I'm not him….

-----

We all reappeared at the appointed time (well, for Gregory, it was appeared) and Ron knocked on the door.

"Oh, Boyz?" came from Kim, and I was glad I wasn't Ron: that was the mating call of the Kimila beast. Ron opened the door to the dressing room (well, the room they'd converted), and Kim Joss and Becky and Mel were all in there, grinning.

"You look like a million, US, Fletch; are you ready?" Becky asked Fletch, and he responded by walking over to her and kissing her.

"Next question?" And, after hugs and kisses all around, we all headed to the hospital cafeteria converted into the performance hall.

We opened the doors to flashing strobe lights and groups of doctors, nurses, and patients sitting in the room, grinning.

"We're sure glad y'all came," Becky called out, and the audience applauded.

We all went to the front, and we guys all got our first really good look at what the ladies were wearing, and Fletch was now working a Felix-to-Monique full drool spool.

I looked away and went the same was as Fletch when I saw Joss: full drool in 3…2…1…drool!

She was wearing a little emerald green number, similar to the LBD, but longer, and she had the tall boots on.

When I finally turned my eyes, I saw that Becky, sitting in her wheel chair, was wearing a similar outfit, only her dress was a gorgeous shade of lavender.

I caught Ron's face out of the corner of my eye as he moved to Kim and took her in his arms.

"Lookin' badical, KP," and he kissed her.

When he finally released her, I saw that her dress was like Joss' as well, only a lighter green that looked stunning on her.

Gregory cleared his throat, and he walked up to his wife and almost devoured her with his kiss.

I knew that Mel was tall (almost 5'10), but Gregory was a full head or two taller than her, even with her in heels.

And, Mel was in the LBD.

Oh, man, those legs….

Did I mention that they ladies not in tall boots were wearing what looked to be 2 or 3-inch heels?

'All those legs…' was my thought, and I'm sure it was the thought of every male in the room.

Fletch went over, hugged Becky, and told her she was gorgeous.

He was rewarded with a chaste kiss on the lips.

"A-HEM…" someone was clearing her throat, and I went to her.

"Frog down there?" I asked, and I kissed her tenderly.

"Not that you'll get to, big boy," and the male doctors and nurses and patients all 'OOOOOOOOOOO'ed, and the female doctors and nurses and patients exchanged high-fives.

"So, just why are we here?" I grinned, and the audience groaned.

"Three reasons, Wade," Becky answered:

"One: to give the patients some fun for an evening;

"Two: to thank our doctors and nurses for what they've done for Fletch and me, and

"Three: to tell you and Ron and Fletch and Gregory 'thank you' in a way that we could share in public," and she grinned, and I heard a gurgle come from Gregory and a laugh from the audience...

I looked at Ron.

"'Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?'" I asked, and he replied,

"I think so, brain, but if none of these doctors will 'carve this turkey' tonight, are there any fava beans around?" and everyone groaned.

"You first, guys," and we proceeded to slaughter three songs, much to the delight of the audience and the ladies. We got cheers, jeers, and groans as we left the makeshift stage.

"Your turn," and Kim stepped forward, and a Christmas song started vamping an introduction, and I saw Fletch flinch.

"What's wrong, guy?" I leaned over and asked.

"Just bringing back a memory, Wade," and the back door of the room opened and Betty walked in.

She winked at me when she walked up and stood with Kim; she introduced herself and explained that this song was a special song to Kim and her: after they sang it, they each received a proposal, and became engaged!

The audience loved it, cheering before they even began to sing.

Betty waited for the cheers to die down, and she began to sing, as she and Kim had, on Christmas Eve.

- - - - - - -

(Betty) O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;  
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!  
- - - - - - -

I was watching Fletch because he had appeared agitated, but now he was breathing hard, and Becky grabbed his hand.

"What's wrong, Fletch? She whispered.

"It's my angels.

"They're the ones I saw and heard singing when I thought I'd died," he whispered back to Becky, and tears began to stream down his face.

- - - - - - -

Fletch made it through the whole song in one piece, but he was the first standing and applauding along with the rest of the audience.

One little girl, she must not have been more than 4 or 5, came out carrying a bouquet of flowers for both Betty and Kim. They each took them and kissed the little girl on the cheek, and she scampered back to Momma and Daddy.

It was time for the grand finale

I leaned over to Joss and asked, "BT's 'Total' song?" and she looked miffed.

"Great minds, oh strawberry-holic," she stated loud enough for the audience to hear, and chuckles ensued.

"We wanted to say 'thank you' to the doctors and nurses that helped my friends," Joss spoke as we all assembled on stage, "as well as say 'thank you' and 'we love you' to our husbands and fiancées and boyfriends. It was going to be a surprise: from the ladies to the gentlemen, but someone," and she pointed at me, "'spilled the beans,' and you know how men are, ladies: they have to put their touches on everything," and the ladies all laughed and the men mostly booed, "and this is what we've ended up with, now," and she stepped back into position and hit a preprogrammed set of controls on her PosComm, and the introduction vamped four times, and then Mel and I began:

(Mel/Wade) Turnaround:

(Joss) Every now and then I got so very lonely 'cause you had not yet appeared  
(Mel/Wade) Turnaround

(Joss) Every now and then I got a little bit tired of listening to my heart all alone  
(Mel/Wade) Turnaround

(Joss) Every now and then I got a little bit nervous that the best of everything had gone by  
(Mel/Wade) Turnaround

(Joss/Becky) Every now and then I got a whole lot terrified and then I saw the look in your eyes  
(Wade) Turnaround, blue eyes:

(Joss) Always in the past I fell apart," and I pointed at her:  
(Joss) Turnaround, brown eyes:

(Wade) Always in the past I fell apart

Josh pointed at Ron and Kim, and they took the next one while we kissed and hugged:

(Ron) Turnaround:

(Kim) Every now and then I got a little bit restless and I dreamt of someone wild  
(Ron) Turnaround:

(Kim) Every now and then I'd feel so very helpless and I'd wind up like a child in your arms  
(Ron) Turnaround:

(Kim) Every now and then I got a little bit angry and I knew I had to get out and cry  
(Ron) Turnaround:

(Kim) Every now and then I'd get really, really terrified but then I'd see the look in your eyes  
(Ron) Turnaround, green eyes:

(Kim) Always in the past I fell apart," and he pointed at her:  
(Kim) Turnaround, brown eyes:

(Ron) No, I never knew just where to start

And, they sang together, Kim on melody and Ron in harmony (I never knew that Ron could sing more that TVTrashHeap songs!)

(Kim/Ron) And I need you now tonight  
And I need you more than ever  
And if you'll only hold me tight  
We'll be holding on forever"

Ron took Kim in his arms, and they sang face-to-face to each other:

(Kim/Ron) And we'll only be making it right  
Cause we'll never be wrong

Together, we can take it to the end of the line  
Your love makes me your shadow on you all of the time  
I don't know what to do 'cause I'm never in the dark  
We're living in a powder keg and shooting off sparks  
I really need you tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight

(Ron) Once upon a time I was falling apart  
But now I've only love in my heart  
There's nothing I can do  
A total eclipse of my heart  
(Kim) Once upon a time light was gone from my life  
(Kim/Ron) But now there's always love in our hearts  
Nothing I can say  
A total eclipse of our hearts.

Kim and Ron danced to the interlude music, and Joss and I watched them, and then we all looked it Becky, sitting and swaying dressed to the nines in her wheelchair, looking lovelier that I had ever seen her and looking up longingly at Fletch. Fletch was standing by her, holding her hand and staring into her face as Mel and Gregory sang their intro:

(Mel) Turnaround, blue eyes;

(Gregory) Turnaround, blue eyes;  
(Fletch) Turnaround:

(Becky) Now that we've been here, I know you'll always be the man that you said that you would be  
(Fletch) Turnaround:

(Becky) Now that we've been here, I know you'll always be the only man who wanted me the way that I am

(Fletch) Turnaround:

(Becky) Now that we've been here, I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you  
(Fletch) Turnaround:

(Becky) Now that we've been here, I know there's nothing any better and there's nothing I just wouldn't do  
(Fletch) Turnaround blue eyes:

(Becky) Always in the past I was an ass," and the audience laughed,  
(Fletch) Turnaround blue eyes:

(Becky) Now I know I need to not be crass

Then Fletch and Becky kissed, and Mel and Gregory, standing in a rigged spotlight, were singing to each other:

(Gregory) Turnaround:

(Mel) Always in my life I've known you'd always be the man I needed by my side  
(Gregory) Turnaround:

(Mel) Always in my life I knew you'll always be the only man who ever wanted me for his bride

(Gregory) Turnaround:

(Mel) Every day and night I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you  
(Gregory) Turnaround:

(Mel) Every night and day I know there's no one any better and there's nothing I just wouldn't do  
(Gregory) Turnaround silver eyes:

(Mel) There was so much baggage in the past,"  
(Gregory) Turnaround blue eyes:

(Mel) Now I get to stare at your great (Gregory) MEL! And the audience laughed

(Becky) But I need you now, tonight  
And I need you more than ever  
And if you'll only hold me tight  
We'll be holding on forever.

(Fletch) And we'll only be making it right  
Cause we'll never be wrong

(Becky / Fletch) Together, we can take it to the end of the line  
Your love makes me your shadow on you all of the time  
(Mel / Gregory) I don't know what to do 'cause I'm never in the dark  
We're living in a powder keg and shooting off sparks  
I really need you tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight

(Becky / Mel) Once upon a time I was falling apart  
But now I've only love in my heart  
There's nothing I can do  
You totally captured my heart

(Fletch / Gregory) Once upon a time there was light from my life  
(Becky / Fletch / Mel / Gregory) But now there's always love in our hearts  
There's nothing I can say  
A total eclipse of our hearts.

(Becky / Joss/ Kim / Mel) I now know what to do 'cause I'm never in the dark  
We're lovin' in a powder keg and shooting off sparks  
I really need you tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight  
Forever's gonna start tonight

(Becky / Joss/ Kim / Mel) Once upon a time I was falling apart  
But now I've only love in my heart  
There's nothing I can do  
A total eclipse of my heart," and we guys all looked at each other and grinned,  
(Fletch / Gregory / Ron / Wade) Once upon a time there was light from my life  
But now there's always love in our hearts," and, then was all sang, together,  
(All) Nothing I won't mind:  
A total eclipse of our hearts.

And the audience cheered, and the little girl came running up out of the audience and hugged Kim's leg.

The crowd laughed and cheered, and Kim smiled and knelt down and hugged her, and Ron knelt and joined the hug, and the crowd cheered even louder.

"One more demon gone, My Wade: this time, though, it was Kim's," Joss whispered to me, and she hugged me.

I looked out into the crowd after that hug, and I noticed Slim, sitting in the back, with a big grin on his face. He gave me a thumbs' up, and I nodded to him

I then saw both Becky's and Fletcher's parents: they saw me look at them and mouthed 'thank you.'

"I love you, Andrea Jocelyn Possible," and I kissed her tenderly, and she grinned.

"I love you, Dr. Wade Load, and I'm a'gonna git your middle name before our wedding if'n it kills me."

"oh, man…."

-----

**Author's afterward:**

A very special set of thanks go out to the following:

Several writers have encouraged me during the writing of this chapter, not knowing what was happening in my life: the 18-year-old son of a very good friend just spent Christmas in a cancer treatment center, and the father was apologizing to me for not returning my calls. This is life, folks, and what true friendship can do….

Twila Starla: your idea for the brain-switching concept underlies much of this chapter and the closeness that Joss, Wade, Kim, and Ron have developed. This intermezzo special, "oops…," will be coming in the next few weeks, definitely after the Fannies.

CajunBear73, KP's #1 Fan, mkusenagi2, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, and whitem: for allowing me to float ideas off of them regarding MMP and revelation of its secrets (and some of the people-to-people interactions, as well). The mysticism, at first, made me uncomfortable, but I embraced it after their overwhelming support.

Pharaoh Rutin Tutin for his reaction to Tara (**Haminahaminahamina**!) that showered my desktop with liquid and told me that I'd hit the mark. Thanks, also, PRT, for 'getting it,' and for continuing to challenge me to improve with your North American-style buffoonery and humor.

King in Yellow for taking me outside of my comfort zone and helping me trust my instincts that there was so much more to the relationships than just the smuff (granted, the smuff is nice….); and, good luck to you, also, in the Fannies.

Thank you, to all of you, for continuing to support me and provide me with a sounding board.

- - - - - -

**Preview: **

An early, unexpected, and long-lasting fierce snowstorm strikes the Rockies in both Canada and the US in October and November with a vengeance.

People are all right, people are hurt, people are dying, and some cannot be found.

Joe, of Canadian Intelligence, gets a call from an old friend that he never expected to receive….

Canadian Avalanche Blues, Eh?

- - - - - -

For all of you Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.

And, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank all of my readers for their support in the Fannies. The awards will come out, soon, and I am in for two possible awards! Well, it's really we, because I couldn't do it without you.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

- - - - - -

The Fannies are over, but who won? Stay tuned for the awards ceremony…

- - - - - - -


	8. 8: Canadian Avalanche Blues, Eh?

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

All references to any specific character or product by names mentioned in this story are not intended to parody or reflect negatively on the correspondingly existing products; any and all similarities are coincidental.

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Questions:

What's so bad about a little snow?

Answer:

Nothing, if it's a little snow. When it's early, unexpected, and heavy to the point that we have a crisis on our hands, that's not a good thing….

A fierce snowstorm strikes the Rockies in both Canada and the US in October and November with a vengeance, and some people take advantage of it.

Some people are all right; some are hurt; some are dead or dying, and some cannot be found.

Joe, of Canadian Intelligence, gets a call from an old friend that he never expected to receive….

Come prepared for a winter roller-coaster ride, and bring the "comfy chair" (SHUT UP!) and large mugs of coffee and/or coco-moo: it's by far my longest chapter to date:

Canadian Avalanche Blues, eh?

-----

Chapter 8: Canadian Avalanche Blues, Eh?

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

Archives and logs of Dr. A. Jocelyn Possible-Load

Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Load

Archives and logs of Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable.

Archives and logs of Joe XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (surname black-out authorized by CSIS).

Files released by authorization of the following Canadian agencies:

Border Security Agency (CBSA),

National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSRS),

Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC),

Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS – CIA-equivalent), handling domestic security

Communications Security Establishment (CSE), monitoring foreign concerns, with primary mandate currently identified s anti-terrorism.

-----

(Undisclosed location, undisclosed hospital, somewhere in Canada: event minus 23 months….)

The woman and two men opened the door slowly after knocking and receiving no reply.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The man lay in the bed, casts on both of his legs and left arm, his face covered in bandages and tubes from his nose.

"It's a miracle he's alive," she stated.

"It's Joe: only he could have come out of that and captured the two leading drug dealers in three provinces," the man replied, and his co-patriot nodded in agreement.

"Will he make it?" was asked by the second man.

"The doctors believe so; they had to crack his chest after his heart stopped, but they found the bleeders and tied them off.

"But walking? They don't think it's possible, not for a very long time, if ever," the second man answered.

"What can he do, now?"

"If he wants it, I have the perfect position for him," the women announced, and the men winced.

"He's a field agent: he'll never accept a desk job," the first man stated confidently.

Joe chuckled inwardly as he listened to the conversation.

'Anything is 'Possible:' she taught me that.

'And, anything is acceptable, as long as I'm still in the action,' he added.

He lay quiet as the woman opened two cases and placed them on his pillow.

"Thank you, Joe, from all of the parents of the provinces: you took down two very, very bad men, and you broke a massive drug ring, shipping throughout Canada and even Down South," she smiled, thinking about her American friend's response when she got the news from the 'Frozen North.'

She smiled, all saluted, and they turned and left the room.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The doctor and nurse came back 10 minutes later. They both stopped as they stared at his pillow.

The two medals cases each held an award:

The Meritorious Service Cross (M. S. C.), Civilian Division; and

The Cross of Valour (C. V).

"What did he do?" the nurse asked, and the doctor shrugged.

"I don't know, but I'm putting him on my gift list for Christmas," he smiled, and they left the room.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

-----

(Undisclosed location, undisclosed rehabilitation hospital, somewhere in Canada: event minus 20 months….)

The woman and two men opened the door after the voice responded.

"Good afternoon," he started to rise, and she waved him down.

"Joe, after what you've done, we should now rise for you," the woman replied, and she and the two men took seats across from him.

"How are you, my friend?"

He stood, albeit a bit shakily, and jogged around the large workout room. He stopped at one of the weight stations, picked up a 20-kg hand weight in each hand, and pumped iron for them. He then placed the weights back on the stands and cart-wheeled back to a spot approximately a meter in front of their chairs.

"Well?" he asked, and the woman stood and applauded, followed by the two men.

"How did you…the doctors told us that it wasn't possible," she began, but he cut her off with a wave.

"Who did you ask me to train, Commissioner?" He asked, smiling, and then laughing.

"Anything's 'Possible,' remember?" he sat down, wincing for only a moment.

"Well, that answers the first question," she replied with a full smile. "Thanks for reminding me: I need to send her something for her 'good work.'"

"And, I accept the liaison position, Commissioner," he added, and the men's heads shot up from where they were heads-down, whispering to each other.

"How did you…," and she grinned when she realized what had happened. "You were awake, you naughty, naughty man, you," she chastised him as she smiled and winked at him. He returned his well-known thin smile.

"You do realize that this is a new position, you have no authority over anyone, and you have no staff," she continued; he smiled and nodded.

"Just the way I like it," Joe replied, and the new position of multi-agency liaison for the Border Security Agency (CBSA), National Search and Rescue Secretariat, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and Communications Security Establishment (CSE) was now filled by Joe XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (surname black-out authorized by CSIS).

-----

(Mid-June, following the Montana high school attack: event minus four months….)

(Dr. Wade A. Load)

It was almost ready, but Ron sat on it.

Let's start from scratch, again….

Ron couldn't help it: I left it on the seat of Kim's Sloth by mistake. I was certain that the Tweebs, in their usual fit of techno-envy, would have picked it up b then.

I was wrong.

CRUNCH! Went the single-use PosComm prototype, and Ron grinned as he picked up the pieces and handed them to me

"Oops," he said, and we both laughed.

Back to the workshop, I went….

It was better, this way: I had contemplated a modification (well, a full re-design) the last time I flew the PosComm at Joss' high school, and it gave me an idea for _**BlazeIT!**_ as well as a signature item for her.

Besides, calling something the SUPC (Single-Use PosComm) just didn't have any 'zing,' but this new unit did; I knew that Slim and Mr. Dr. P would get a laugh out of the name.

That is, of course, as long as the government didn't sue me for name infringement….

-----

"So, what is it, Wade?" Joss asked. I hit the keyboard and launched it on its preprogrammed course.

She was sitting on my desks in my room at home, her legs crossed, and her newest pair of black tall boots on with that pair of tight, black, short, tight, sexy, tight (did I mention that they were tight?) black jean shorts that didn't make it to her knees: mid-thighs, only. I never got to the blouse….

"Wade, you're soooo doomed,' I thought. 'I just hope our daughter doesn't look like this: I'll have to hang the knives over the fireplace if she does; maybe a pair of crossed machetes, as well.'

I thought for a moment…**our** daughter…I could hardly wait for her to be born.

I'd already picked out the name, if Joss agreed to it:

Stephanie Angelica Load.

I thought it was beautiful, just like I knew she would be.

"I took the idea of the flying PosComm and kicked it down a notch or 10, Joss," and the unit landed on her hand.

"What is that?" she yelled, surprised as it touched down so softly that she barely felt a thing. "It looks like the PosComm, but there's no screen on it."

"It's a M.A.S.H unit, Jocelyn," I replied and managed to keep a straight face. She didn't, and her guffaw was rich and loud. Lucky for me, she didn't have her diet cola in her mouth, or I'd have been wearing it.

"I took the PosComm capabilities for mobility, flight capability, and surveillance, and consolidated them all into a stand-alone handheld unit:

"The Mobile Aerial Surveillance Handheld unit, Mark 1; or, M.A.S.H unit.

"I saw the need, after the high school incident, to have a dedicated unit available for this kind of work as well as the PosComm. IF something happened, Sweet Tea, God forbid, and you didn't have the PosComm, I couldn't find you: this way, you can still fly and communicate with me and the team."

Her response was to hop off the desk, pull me out of my chair, and kiss me, smashing her lips gently and lovingly into mine.

She then took my hands and moved them both, lower, to my favorite viewing site.

I've always loved the way it looks, but I had only been there once or twice before (excluding my dreams, of course). I loved the feel of her in my arms, in my hands: no Kim bubble-butt here, but (no pun intended) a wonderfully-firm and inviting petite terminus, just the right size for my strawberry goddess.

-----

"Are you ready?" I asked her as we separated, the Ronald Dean Stoppable grinning-like-an-idiot look on my face.

"I'm so ready for them to get married; they're even more sickeningly-sweet that we were," Joss replied as she smiled and sat back on the desk, crossing her legs again.

That was proof: the Kimberly Ann Possible smile was genetic, and it was passed down through the father's gene pool.

And, the legs…Oh, the legs!

Genetics rock!

"Have you seen Betty's wedding dress?" Joss grinned. "OMG, it's wonderful! She's gonna be a beautiful June bride."

"So will you, my strawberry goddess; so will you."

I never had a chance to breathe again before she slammed my mouth shut with her lips.

I love strawberries.

"So, Aggie," and I winced, "what else besides a TV-knockoff do you have in your bag of tricks?"

"I have one more that should be ready for prototype testing in a couple of days, Joss. I'm working on another unit that can be integrated into the PosComm, slaved with either the PosComm or the MASH unit, or function separately as its own handheld.

"It's a Full-view InfraRed Enhancer, or F.I.R.E unit; it should be able to find anything giving off infrared energy and display both the item and its location. The current range is set at only 2 miles, but I'm sure that, by the time I'm ready for you, Rebecca Jane, and Arnold to test it, the prototype will have a maximum range of 10 miles and be tunable down to 10 meters, over 30 feet."

"Why infrared, Wade?"

"Heat sensing; I think it'll give us the best chance to find folks at night, hiding, or trapped underground. The radar-enhanced ground-penetrating capability will give you penetration up to 100 meters underground; but, Sweet Tea, that won't be ready for another 2 weeks.

"I'll run it back through the testing cycle before I hand it over to y'all for final field tests.**" **

She smiled.

I love those smiles.

"How were Fletch and Becky's finals? I never had a chance to ask you about them last week: someone had a hankerin' for Nacos and flan, and we never talked about them."

"Passed with flying colors; all except Fletch's math final; he missed a perfect score by 5 points. His teacher was amazed: he told Fletch's parents that he had never seen this drive for excellence in Fletcher before."

"What did they say?"

"'Getting beat up, and having your girlfriend shot, will change your attitude,' and his parents laughed."

"Where are yours going on their honeymoon?"

"Betty had her heart set on Hawaii, but Daddy has his heart set on Greece and a couple of spots on islands off the coast. Kim told her about Midas, and Betty changed her mind. Daddy booked her three sessions with him; it seems he had some sudden vacancies."

"Did you finish the wedding gifts?"

"They're both finished, Joss.

"You know that Betty's gonna think that I'm back in the scanning business, again, and that somehow I've broken her security protocols, Joss. I made her a promise, and I **know** I don't want her to be mad at me, again."

"Don't worry, my Aggie," she smirked, and I winced again. "I've got the note ready to go in the box with the 'suits, and they won't get them until they get to their island destination, whichever one they finally decide on: I'm having them shipped via GJ to her."

"Is Kim having a quiet summer?"

"It seems that way; we've only had a few hits, and the Tweebs have taken most of the calls. The guys at the customer sites are upset because Kim isn't there, but the ladies are all lovin' the Tweebs.

"I'm getting more emails and messages asking if they're available, and the pictures…; well, let's just say that some of them leave very, very little to the imagination," I grinned. Even Jim and Tim had blushed when I showed them a couple of them, but they wanted the emails, anyway.

"WADE!" she smiled.

"It's a good thing she's having a quiet summer. She and Justine have spent way too much time at the pools and the bridal shops, and Ron and Mike are getting happier and more worried, depending on where the ladies are at the time."

"Wedding question:

"What about Gemini?" I asked.

"He offered to stay away, but Betty's mother would **not** stand for it.

"So, Gemini and Pepe will be at Betty's wedding, along with about 50 GJ agents.

"Won't Kim be thrilled?" I chuckled. I remembered the look on Kim's face when she found out that Gemini was coming to her uncle's wedding, and that he would now be an out-law in-law, as Jocelyn had so eloquently described him.

"So, my Sweetest of Teas, how many more have you recruited for _**BlazeIT!**_ to train?"

Joss smiled again.

"Well, Fletch and Becky, but they can't do all of the outdoor training now, so Arnold's training them on the systems and communications. They're naturals at the communications equipment operations; as long as they keep their hands and feet off of each other, they'll be fine. Fletch is getting better by the day, so he'll start the outdoor training in a few weeks.

"Jennifer and Stephen are working with Rebecca to prepare Stephen for his first jump. He's excited, but he's a little nervous. Jen's ready, too; she's jumped several times before, but not in a solo chute from these heights.

"Brick was the surprise, though," and I was confused: Brick Flagg?

"Mr. Brickle is a great trainer (ahhh, that Brick!). His survival skills are beyond platinum, and he's so patient with all of us."

"I heard from a little sparrow that you had a couple of 'wieners' up here, do you not?" and Joss missed, swinging her hand at my head.

"Yea, Momma2 gave me the 'Hot Dogs,' Wade. She said that they would be helpful in the medical arena, but I jus' thank that she wanted to get them out of sight…." she groused.

"But," Joss had a gleam in her eye, "that's not the best news of all." And she was quiet for a couple of minutes, just staring at me.

"WHAT!?" I finally burst.

"Momma2 sent me two presents, and they're solving my adult-to-student ration problem in the search teams for the newer members," and she had an evil grin.

I thought for a moment, then my eyes grew huge.

No, she didn't….please, no….

"Commander Peterson is a total joy to work with, and Will's so past his old behavior that Lindsey says that he's almost human"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Wait: Will almost human?

"Lindsey?" I asked, and Joss nodded.

"Lindsey knows that he's totally smitten with her, and she thought he was cute in a nerdy sort, so she took pity on him when he asked her out.

"It turned out to be the best date she'd been on since her old boyfriend, and Will was a total gentleman, so she kept it going, and he's been after her ever since.

'Will, almost human,' was my thought….?'

'NAAAA!'

"So, Lindsey got talked into helping by Rebecca Jane, and Will came along, and Will's actually not bad as a trainer, Wade."

"DU-DUH?"

"Yes, and you'll have to see it to believe it. Plus, between the two of them they can fly practically any aircraft: Learning that certainly upped Will's opinion of Lindsey."

"Will and Lindsey…."

"Stranger things have happened, my hunka-chocolate," she nibbled my left ear.

Sometimes, life is not fair.

-----

(Late August, event minus 6 weeks….)

My PosComm emergency signals went off like Big Ben:

Joss.

In Trouble.

I was in my chair in microseconds and activating the screen while looking at the clock:

6:59.35 AM MDT.

Joss' face appeared.

She looked horrible,

Something was wrong.

She saw me, and she burst into tears.

I pulled up another monitor and checked for the earliest open flight to her while I sent a message to the GJ HAOC (Hot Agent On Call) at the Bunker to see what was available if I had to get there sooner.

"Jocelyn, what's wrong."

"They …died, Wade," and I was now totally awake.

"Who, Joss?

"Who died?"

"Both of them, Wade; just a minute," and she disappeared from the screen.

I heard her throwing up in her bathroom, heaving whatever she had eaten that night.

When she came back, she was calmer but still stressed.

"Center, Jocelyn," I tried to remember what Ron had taught me.

I took a deep breath, and she took a deep breath.

"You are the only one who can control your reactions, Jocelyn," I reminded her, and she breathed again.

"You are in control, Jocelyn," and she took another deep breath, then she looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you, Wade: I'm ready now."

-----

"We were out on one last night party run before fall school started: a Friday night/Saturday morning run down to Miles City.

"We had dinner, just us girls, and we celebrated Delta's last night here, maybe a bit too much for her: five large mugs of root beer," and I smiled inside.

"We were heading home about 2:35 AM; I knew I was in some trouble, but I had called Daddy and Momma2 from the restaurant, so they knew we were getting on the road.

"I don't know why I left my PosComm at home, Wade, but I'll never do **that** again.

"We were heading northwest when we were passed by a speeding Muskrat, doing about 120 MPH. We laughed as they hit the straights ahead, knowing that they'd have to slow down before they got to Angelina: the State Police stayed south of town and paid for six new cars a year with the ticket revenue.

"We heard a crash, and Delta slowed down a bit to see if we could see anything.

"Someone yelled, and Delta slammed on the brakes: a man was running into the road, bloodied in the car headlights.

"Five girls, one cell phone, and it was Delta's:

"She tossed it to me as she left the car to see what she could do, yelling to Paula to get her medkit from the trunk. Paula reached across the front sear, popped the trunk, and headed out.

"Jen headed out, and Becky stayed in; she still was not moving well, and I'm glad she stayed in.

"I heard him yell 'my friends are still there; I think they're dead,' and Jennifer took off down the ripped-up path to the car. Paula took the medkit to Delta, and I dialed 911.

"'Emergency. '

"'Joss Possible, with _**BlazeIT!**_ Search and Rescue. We have an accident on Highway 59 with possible fatalities and one ambulatory. Can you send a chopper? '

"'Do you have GPS coordinates? ' the technician asked, and I cursed myself again.

"'DELTA! GPS?'

"'MY PURSE,' and I opened her purse and found her GPS unit and gave her the coordinates.

"Jennifer came back, ashen.

"'Joss, I think they're both dead: I couldn't get a pulse,' she said, and then she threw up on the ground, barely missing my feet.

"'Miss Possible, you need to go down there and check.' The person on the line heard Jen.

"'ME? '

"'Yes, ma'am. You're the only professional we have on the scene, and there are lives at stake.'

"'Hold on,' and I ran down the path to the car.

"I couldn't smell gas, but there was mud galore, and water everywhere.

"I opened the front door, and I saw the girl.

"No chance: her neck was broken.

"'Female, front seat, no seat belt: deceased, broken neck. Checking the next passenger,' and I moved to the back door.

"Opening it, I saw a boy, not much older than me if that, laying over in the seat.

"I checked his pulse: none.

"'No wrist pulse, checking the chest,' and I felt his chest.

Thump.

Silence

Thump.

Silence

Thump.

"'I have a chest pulse: weak, but regular,' I reported.

"'Chopper's on the way, Miss Possible. Stay with him.'

"'Who…'

"I looked at his face: his eyes were wide open and looking into mine. I reached over and took his hand; it was getting colder and wetter.

"'Joss Possible, _**BlazeIT!**_ S&R. You're gonna be fine. What's your name?'

"'Allen…DeLaRosa…Joss…pretty….' And he coughed up blood.

"'He's coughing up blood,' I whispered into the cell.

"'Joss?'

"'Yes, Allen?'

"'Not gonna make it, Joss.'

"'Of course you are, Allen.'

"'No…I'm not. Tell parents…I love them…and Donald…it wasn't…his…fault….' His voice was getting weaker and weaker, and I held his hand even tighter.

"'Joss?'

'Yes, Allen?'

"'Your mother …hello…so does…Stephanie…thank….' and his eyes closed.

"'ALLEN!'

"'Starting CPR!' and I started on Allen.

"'Miss Possible? Don't,' the technician said. 'He's gone.'

"'NO! I CAN'T LOSE HIM!' I yelled, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I turned, and it was Delta.

"'He was breathing, Delta,' I looked up at her, 'and then he was gone,' and she squeezed my shoulder.

"I heard an ambulance squeal to a stop, and voices heading our way.

"'Miss, are you all right?' a paramedic asked me.

"'I'm fine.'

"'You have blood on your hands, Miss,' as he lit up my hands with that killer flashlight.

"My hands were red.

"Allen's blood was the wet I felt when I held his hand.

"'It's not mine, it's his,' I replied, and he wiped it off to see if there were any wounds: none.

"'You young ladies need to head home; you've likely got worried parents,' and I chuckled.

"'Trust me: if mine were worried, you wouldn't be standing here, alone,' I replied.

"'Joss Possible, _**BlazeIT!**_ S&R. My mother's Elizabeth Director-Possible, head of Global Justice,' and I heard a set of squeaks from the other paramedics.

"'What time is it?' I asked the paramedic?

"'It's 5:53, Miss Possible.

"'Tell the M.E approximate time of death was 5: 45 AM for Allen DeLaRosa. The young lady likely died on impact,' I added, and Delta helped me up to the car.

"It was a quiet ride home, and I got in the house and came in here, Wade, and I called you, and you were here for me, once again, my hero," she smiled.

"Joss, you realized what you did, don't you?" and she looked at me totally perplexed.

"You gave Allen DeLaRosa his final moments with someone to talk to.

"He sent two angels tonight, Sweet Tea:

"One, to escort Allen Home, and the second, to be with him, so he wouldn't be alone when the first angel came.

"You were the second angel, Jocelyn Possible, and I am so very proud of you," and I smiled and blew her a kiss.

"I'm coming up, Joss," but she waved me off.

"Momma2 just woke up: I can hear her, so I'll be fine, Wade.

"Thank you for listening, Wade," and she blew me a kiss.

"What are future husbands for, but to help their future wives?" I asked, and grinned.

"Remember, Jocelyn, I will always be here for you, no matter when or where, until you tell me to leave."

"And, Ah ain't a'gonna tell you that, so Ah guess I'm stuck with you, Wade Load, my only.

"Good night, Wade. I love you."

"And I love you, my strawberry angel," and I kissed at her as the monitor blackened, and then I fell apart.

I sat there for over 15 minutes, crying into my hands for my Jocelyn, but I knew one thing was certain:

Her decision about her future college path was decided tonight by Allen DeLaRosa: she was going to follow Mrs.Dr.P into medicine, and whatever else she could get away with at the same time.

I felt sorry for the poor med school that she attended, and even sorrier for the professors that had no advance warning that a Possible woman was on the way.

-----

(mid-October, following the Montana high school attack: event minus 1 week….)

(Joe)

I was walking into my office when the phone rang.

Actually, three phones rang at the same time.

I took the nearest one: Border Security was curious about an inquiry I had made regarding a series of vehicles entering the United States, specifically vehicles entering Eastern Washington State from south-east BC and central Montana from south-central Alberta. I answered the question and requested the information by noon.

The second phone has not stopped ringing, so I answered it: my contact at CSIS asking if I had heard anything about a "weather bug;" the answer was no, but I'd check.

The third line had stopped; I checked the caller-ID and saw it was NSRS; I'd call them back after I had had coffee.

I started the pot and sat down to re-read the information I'd received from my new liaison in Global Justice: a Lindsey Peterson.

Smart girl: she had left the office of a Navy Admiral for this post, and was working with Dr. Possible (I'd have to get used to Betty's new last name; the last time I saw her, she had thanked me for the wedding gift, and I thought I'd never come up for air. Her husband, also a Dr. Possible (Slim, by nickname: Americans with their nicknames….), was laughing at me (but, of course, he was a Possible, so what did I expect?) Commander Peterson was working as the liaison with Dr. Possible's daughter and Dr. Load in an S&R startup for the States. What most didn't know was that Dr. Load was also providing information to the authorities on drug traffic patterns, volumes, and movement: how he did it, I don't know, but he had backed up the traffic into Montana by 47; the remainder was being re-routed through other routes, and it was making it easier to spot them, now.

Lindsey had filled me in on how and why Dr. Load was now spending an inordinate amount of time and money in Montana. I felt sorry for the kid, but I loved what he was doing.

Last night, I had read the background story about Sheri Nicole and Andrea Jocelyn Possible, Slim's first wife and his daughter. I'd almost lost my dinner over that story, and that was difficult for me.

Now, Dr. Load's activities made sense: between what had happened to him and what had happened to Andrea Jocelyn, their teaming up was a logical conclusion. But: why him, and why now?

I was missing a piece of the puzzle, and I knew who would know.

The phone rang.

It was NSRS: they were trying to reach me because a Kimberly Ann Possible was trying to reach me, and did I know her?

I laughed and told them yes, and to call her and tell her that I was dropping in today if it wasn't a bother.

I then booked a flight to Middleton to see Kimberly; hopefully, she would not be in the throes of University registration. This was worth a visit; besides, seeing Ronald would be an experience, as well. I understood that his newest passion was Kimberly Ann, and that the young man had finally caught on and proposed. He was smarter than most thought: I had seen that in action.

-----

There was a Roth SL Coupe parked in the driveway: it had to be hers, I chuckled inside, because neither of her parents needed **that** car.

She opened the door before I ran the doorbell.

"JOE!" she yelled, and she hugged me.

This could be a problem: she was well on her way to becoming a dangerously attractive woman, much like her mother.

"Miss Possible, good day."

"You got my call: good," and she opened the door and ushered me in. I sat down on the couch, wincing a bit. She noticed.

"I couldn't find out where you were, Joe, after you got hurt. I was worried about you, my friend, so I saved it all up for you," and she had opened a closet door in the hallway and retrieved a large box, handing it to me.

"How did you know-?" I stopped as she smiled.

"Wade," I continued, and she nodded.

"I actually came down for a different reason altogether, Kimberly Ann: Wade. He's the reason that I needed to see you.

"I have one question: to use your phrase, 'What's the sitch' between Wade Load and Andrea Jocelyn Possible?"

Kim laughed, long and hard.

I sat there like an idiot, waiting for her to finish.

"Joe, for Intelligence, you missed the train on this one.

"It's love, Joe," and I mentally slapped myself, but stopped.

"But, they're only 14 and 15. How-?" and she held up her hand.

"You know about them, Joss' mom and Wade's friend?" I nodded.

"They were there when each other learned about the other's pain, and what happened to each of them.

"They've been through more than Ron and I have been through, and likely will go through, in our first 30 years of marriage together.

"Congratulations, by the way, Miss Possible, on your upcoming nuptials," I stated, and she grinned.

"So, that's where the huge basket came from last Christmas that had no name but was from Ottowa," she deduced, and I smiled.

"How did you hear so soon?"

"Your Nana bought the drinks, remember? A friend of mine was on the flight, and he called me from the airport. I called in a few favors to get it to you Christmas afternoon; I hope you enjoyed it."

"I loved it; I never got any of the cheese, though," she grinned, and we both said:

"Rufus."

"Wade's name popped up on a couple of dispatches that hit my desk, but so far, he's under the radar of the big dogs. Only a couple of minor cells have him tagged, but they're in the process of falling apart.

"I did call you for a reason, Joe, so let me get Wade on the line, as well," and she and she reached down and tapped her wrist. A small holographic projection popped up, and Wade's head was there.

"What's the sitch, Kim-

"JOE! What are you doing in Middleton, old friend?"

"Asking about you, but obviously I missed the boat, Dr. Load: I hadn't heard that you were engaged. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Joe, but it's not totally official yet, not until Joss graduates from colle-

"Wait, you know about Joss and me?"

"Just like you knew I was hurt, Wade," I grinned, and two masters of the craft smiled at each other.

"Wade, I called Joe about the weatherbug."

Clicks, and

"re-confirmed this morning's scans, Kim, Joe: nothing," Wade replied.

"I received a call this morning about the same topic, Kim," and Wade's face furrowed.

"I've tagged the searchbot, Joe, and it'll send you a note whenever it pops up."

"How are you- never mind," I smiled, and Wade crossed his arms.

"Wade?" a young lady's voice, and a comely redhead popped into the screen behind Wade.

"Miss Possible, good day," and she looked surprised.

"Joss, this is Joe," Wade introduced me, and Joss smiled.

"OH, THAT Joe. How'ya doin,' Joe, and what are ya' doin' in Middleton?

"Talking to you, Wade, and Kim, Joss," and Kim laughed at Joss' perplexed look.

"Joe has a rather dry sense of humor, Joss," Kim explained.

"While I've got all three brains here, Ah have a question.

"What's a weatherbug?" and Kim and Wade's heads both looked at Joss.

"Where did you get that, Joss?"

"Lindsey and Rebecca Jane got it off of some surveillance recordings; something about a weatherbug and an event scheduled for October 22nd, but no details," she explained.

"Anything on October 22nd?" and Wade's fingers flew.

"Nothing major on the 22nd; no dignitaries coming into the state of Montana, and no special events," he finished.

"Kim, where did you get the word weatherbug?"

"One of Drakken's cellmates heard something from him, rambling about a weatherbug, but he didn't get any information beyond the name. He turned it in, hoping he could get some extra privileges.

"Other than that: as Ron would say, _I got nuttin._"

"Somebody call the Ronster?" and Ronald Dean Stoppable came in the front door, saw his fiancée and bee-lined his way to her to administer a full-blown kiss.

"JOE!" he finally noticed me, and he shook my hand heartily.

I felt a buzz for a millisecond, but it went away...or was I imagining things?

"Staying long, Joe, or are you afraid of the Ron-man as agent competition?" he grinned.

"Just leaving, Ronald" and I stood.

"Love the cane, Joe," he pointed at my walking stick.

"Thanks, Ron, Kim, Wade, Jocelyn," I headed for the door.

"HEY!" and I turned around to see an angry chittering naked mole rat.

"Sorry, Rufus, I thought you were upstairs," and I walked back to Ron and extended my hand.

Rufus shook my finger, and waved good-bye as he jumped down and headed into the kitchen.

"If I find anything, I'll let you know, Kimberly," and I turned as someone pulled my shoulder.

Kim gave me a big hug, and I was made painfully aware of our age difference.

"Bye, Joe: don't forget to write," she smirked as I headed to the tube entrance.

I never gave her any information on weatherbug, and neither she nor Wade had noticed: good.

I hated the tubes, but they beat the heck out of airport taxi fares.

"Bye, all," I called and waved, and I triggered the tube and dropped.

I passed my stomach on the way to the airport.

-----

(October 22: event day 0)

(Abandoned warehouse in Mills City, Montana)

"Well?" The burly man in the ill-fitting pure silk suit was impatient.

"Patience, my dear Mr. Insight; it will begin in 3...2...1...NOW!" the short, skinny man clicked the mouse, and the program began to run.

"When will we see the effects?"

"Look outside," and Mr. Insight opened the door to a beautiful but unexpected sight:

Snowflakes were dancing as they fell from the full clouds, in October.

"The forecast was for a light rain," he whispered, and the short man laughed.

"Freeze it at the right heights, and what do you get?

"Snow.

"Freeze a lot of it, and what do you get?

"Lots of snow.

"Keep it frozen for weeks, and what do you get?

"Conditions you're never seen before," and the short man laughed maniacally.

"So, now, people everywhere shall feel my wrath, because you cannot stop:

"WEATHERBUGGG!" The laughter became more maniacal.

'And I can finally move my merchandise across the border without being bothered, because no one would be crazy enough to be out in this weather,' Mr. Insight thought to himself and smiled inside.

The snowfall began to come down harder by the minute, and in 20 minutes the snowfall was heavy enough to begin to start buildups on car hoods and windows.

-----

Joss walked out of her last classes with Paula and found the day had changed from 'chance of rain' to a surprising October snow.

Paula's car hood was covered with what looked like six inches of snow, and her windshield and back of window were piled high.

"Dang, I'm glad I had at least enough brains to wear some jacket this morning," Paula smiled as she pointed at the 'in crowd,' now shivering in their sleeveless dresses and bare arms.

"Oh, well, this won't last long," Joss said as they finally got to the car and brushed the layer off of the windows.

"At least it's not frozen like it would be in January: that'd be a mess," Paula commented as she popped the locks, and the girls entered the car.

"At least the heater works," Joss added as the Paula started the engine, reaching over and starting the heater, as well.

"Looks like the forecasters missed this one," Paula backed out of the parking lot and headed to the Lazy C Ranch. First, however, were priorities: a stop at the MoonNickel drive-thru for hot chocolate for Joss and a Double Expresso Latte for Paula.

-----

National Weather Service, Glasgow, Montana (October 22: event day 0 + 15 hours)

"What's happening, people?" Nicole (Nicki) Henry, the chief meteorologist yelled across the room, and every meteorologist attempted, unsuccessfully, to bury themselves under their desks.

Nicole caught her first victim.

"Vangie! Talk to me!"

"Well, Boss," Evangeline (Vangie) Powers looked up from the reading she'd just received and reviewed, "it appears that the upper atmosphere temperature has dropped."

"VANGIE!"

"Sorry, Boss," and she unsuccessfully stifled a laugh.

Nicole growled, and Vangie continued. "It's dropped to -15 degrees C (5 degrees F), and it looks like it'll level off and hold at about -25 C (-13 F).

"Add this to the jet stream flow pattern flow change that we saw three weeks ago, bringing Pacific moisture across the mountains in mass quantities, and we have the makings of a good early snow."

"HOW GOOD?" Nicole hated being wrong, especially about something like this.

"12-18 inches, if it breaks. It'll make the ski resorts happy, and the retail stores will sell more coats early, so it's a win for everyone."

"And, if it doesn't break?" Nicole had caught Vangie's caveat, and Vangie punched up the forecast and routed it to her boss' monitor.

"Shazzbat," Nicole mumbled to herself. 'If it doesn't break in the next 24 hours, it won't break for three weeks or more.

Nicki hit the phone and built a conference call with her, Billings, Denver/Boulder, Glasgow, Great Falls, and Missoula. She wanted answers, and she needed them last week.

In a few minutes, she had all parties.

"We're seeing upper atmosphere temps dropping like Diablos," Nicki joked.

"What are you seeing?"

"Denver: same: we're down to -1 F.

"Glasgow: same: we're at -16 C.

"Great Falls: -13 C.

"Mizzoula: -14 C.

"Snow?" Nicki asked, and they all had had at least three inches accumulated; her nine inches was the largest accumulation.

"If this is what we're getting in the cities, what's gonna happen in the Rockies, at the resorts?" she asked.

Silence.

-----

Kim walked out of her college class and was, for the millionth time, glad that Club Banana had discontinued her signature crop top. She liked the new shirts.

'And Ron certainly likes how I look in the purple ones; he can't get enough of them,' she giggled as she leaned into the wind.

The brisk wind was chilling, and she shivered as she walked to her car, popping the locks using the newest Tweeb toy: a security system that also activated the silent call to the police and Wade if anyone attempted to break into the car or move it. The car would lock down after moving 10 feet in any direction, and the dye that would hit the people inside: well let's just say it wouldn't be pretty, but it would be easy to clean from the carn (just not the people).

She opened the door and got in, closing the door and putting her books on the passenger seat. As she started the Sloth, the cold air blast from the vent got her attention, and as she looked at the vent she looked down and smiled, noticing something.

'Definitely glad Ron's not here,' she grinned to herself as she realized just how cold it was, and she disconnected the auto-Kimmunicator activation so Wade couldn't 'pop in' unannounced.

'Don't need Wade popping in, either: the girls don't like this cold wind,' she grinned as she pulled out into the road, not paying attention to the tiny flakes that had begun to fall but not yet stick to the windshield.

-----

National Weather Service, Glasgow, Montana (October 31: event day 9)

"The only reason we're not hip-deep in snow was that freakishly-sudden change in the jet stream for two days that cut off the Pacific flow," Vangie was on the conference call with Nicki and the other affected NWS offices.

"That's the good news.

"The bad news: the jet stream has popped back into position, and the dry air looks to be a future memory for the next 30 days.

"We're in for the heaviest, longest-consecutive day snowfall in 90 years, at least for the Glasgow records.

"We're passing warnings to the public schools, universities, cities, and the media," Nicki announced, and she heard a groan across the conference bridge. :"I know, but we've got someone else to think about besides our own sorry asses.

"Give me another idea, and I'll run with it."

Silence, then a beeping from Vangie's connection.

She placed her connection on hold and picked up the incoming call:

"Vangie, darling, are you warm enough yet, or do I need to come south and warm your heart?" a male voice came across her speakerphone, and her office mates all laughed.

"Robert Allen, I've told you before, I'm married," Vangie replied as she clicked her headset on and speakerphone off, and Robert snorted.

"A minor detail, Vangie, especially where you are concerned. I'll find you a good barrister and a, how do you say, hit person, one of those people who kills for a living.

"Love, what do you know about this dreadful weather?"

"Only that it's cold enough to freeze the parts off of a buffalo, either male or female," she replied, "and it appears not to want to stop, either."

"OUCH! Not what I wanted to hear, Vangie. That matched what we're getting from the MSC AEPD supercomputer in Dorval."

"I know MSC: Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), but what's AEPD?" "The Atmospheric Environment Prediction Directorate, luv," he sounded exasperated. "Do your boys in Denver or D.C. know what's getting the moisture to cross the Rockies in these volumes?" "No clue, Robert. Call me if you hear anything, all right?"

"For you, Vangie, I will move the Rockies themselves," and he disconnected.

-----

Joe (October 31: event day 9)

I got a call from Robert Allen with the MSC. The Yanks had no ideas about this weather; they were clueless, as were we.

I looked at the latest information from Intel on drug traffic: the supply was increasing, and the products were moving south across the border, even in this weather.

I looked over at my cane, standing in the corner, all alone. I hadn't used it since a week after I returned from Middleton, and I had a suspicion but no evidence.

The emergency beeps came across from NSRS: an avalanche advisory was being issues for the Rockies, here and in the States.

I needed to make some calls.

The first: to Mel at the bunker.

It rang once, and Mel picked up.

"Hello, Joe," how?

"Wade's caller-id beats your screening capabilities," she smirked over the phone, and I chuckled.

"Mel, luv, are you seeing the drug supply increasing on the south side of the Border?"

"Yes, Joe, I'm seeing it, but it makes no sense. How are they getting it across?"

"I think it's tied into the weather somehow, Mel."

"We need to talk to Wade, then," and she linked us in.

"I'd go video if I were you: this might get deep, real quick." I patched the monitors in, and Mel's face popped into view on screen one, mine was on screen two, and, in a second, Wade's loveable mug was on screen three.

"Mel! Hello!" then he saw me.

"Joe! Too busy to even write?" Wade joked, and I smiled.

"Wade. Keeping that lady of yours in good tech?" and he laughed.

"And flowers, Joe: especially flowers. She deserves them, especially in this weather," and I noticed that Wade had an North American atmospheric map up on the monitor behind him.

"Let me guess, Joe: snow, and more snow," and I grinned as Wade crossed his arms with a self-serving smile on his face.

"'Once again, Dr. Load, you are correct,'" I quoted from one of his old professors, and he guffawed.

"So, you've had your head 'Hand'-ed to you, too, Joe?"

"Not personally; a very dear friend did, several times, but he made it though.

"Talk to me, Wade, about drug flow since the storm started," and he bent his head down as keys clicked in amazing fashion.

"We've had a buildup in the last 7 days, Joe," and Mel nodded. "Only one capture by DEA on the border, but the quantity was massive. They're estimated that, for every capture, 95 per cent more is getting through in this weather."

"What would you say if I told you that this looks like it was planned, Wade?" I asked, more clicks, then Wade's head popped back up.

"Makes sense, but how do you guess the weather?"

"You don't; I haven't figured that part out yet, but I will," I replied.

"Have you heard of a scientist named Johann Santana-Wetterlauss?" Wade asked.

"He was on staff at MSC; fired three years ago for stealing computer resources, both services and physical hardware," I answered, then inquired: "Why?"

"His name came up when I ran the translator across papers from several meteorological experts in the arena of jet stream research; I just got the return set a few minutes ago, and it bothered me, so I was going to call you, Mel."

When Dr. Load was bothered, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"Why did his name come up, Wade?" Mel asked.

"The translator caught it:

"Wetterlauss roughly translates to 'weather bug,'" and light bulbs went on for all of us.

My turn.

"Records show that he got a visa to go South 18 months ago and dropped off our radar when he left," I replied after running a quick scan.

Wade chimed in. "We don't have any records of him after he left Arkansas; he went there to Little Rock, then to Dallas, then to Biloxi, and then back to Arkansas: Jacksboro, specifically, and after that we have no records of him.

"Could he have something to do with this weather?" Mel asked, and Wade shrugged.

"I don't know," now I was Officially Worried, "but I haven't gone through his papers, yet. I'll let you know when I finish; his stuff is scattered over several sites and in several different languages."

"Good hunting, Wade," I hoped he found something, and I disconnected.

-----

November 21: event day 30

(Dr. Wade Load, Middleton, Colorado)

My meditation was interrupted by the notification system.

I'd added several items up for notification, so I had to open the screen to see what the sitch was:

Avalanches predicted all along the range, from Colorado deep into Canada all the way deep into the Canadian Rockies.

I called the Bunker, and Rebecca Jane wasn't there.

"Lindsey?" I hadn't expected to see her.

"Hello, Wade: long time, no harass," she smiled.

"Still playing chess?" Lindsey asked, and I grinned.

"Yes, and your former boss still hasn't won a game."

"What a surprise," she smirked.

"Calling about the avalanche warning?"

"Yes; have we had any requests for assistance yet?"

"A resort north of Middleton, Colorado, and a spot in the Canadian Rockies: Lake Louisa May, about 2 hours west of Calgary, Alberta: they both have experienced minor tremors, and they have guests out on the mountains in several places."

"In this weather?"

"Having fun, Wade: you should try it," she smiled.

"What are the plans, Lindsey?"

"You, Will, Rebecca Jane, and GJ forces will cover Middleton: you're already there, and you've got the gear and the training. Betty may join you, depending on other events occurring. Charlie will man the Bunker along with Becky, and he will be the primary coordination point should the emergency hit; and I expect it to come shortly.

"Jocelyn, Arnold, Fletch, GJ forces, and I will be leaving the Bunker for Lake Louisa May in the next 90 minutes; we'll be on the ground three hours after takeoff."

Joss hadn't called me; she didn't want me to worry, I know, but I was worried anyway.

"Wade, don't worry: you've given us every tech advantage in this environment, and the new winter suits are great. The heating units work perfectly; we've field tested them over the last few weeks with no failures, so I'm comfortable.

"Good hunting, Lindsey," I smiled, and she saluted me.

"You too, Boss," and she clicked off.

Joss' signal came in, and I opened a window:

Joss was standing, wearing her new battle suit, carrying her travel bag. Her PosComm, MASH and FIRE units were clipped to her belt.

"Hello, Wade," she smiled, and I could see she was worried.

"You'll do fine, Joss: I have faith in you, just like I always have and always will," I grinned.

"I know, Wade, but I just wish you were going with me."

"It's our big chance, Joss: we can show them what _**BlazeIT!**_ can do."

"I know, Wade, but would it be wrong of me to want to be sitting by the fire with you rather than going out in this mess?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Sweet Tea," and my heart, my love for her, could melt all the snow in Colorado.

"What about Ron and Kim?"

"Kim called: she got a call, and she and Ron took off and left no word about where they were going or what they were doing.

"Kim and Ron's tracking units?"

"Ron deactivated them both: MMP is a pain to me," I chuckled, and she smiled.

"There's my flight," she joked, and she hugged her bag.

"Until I see you again, Wade: I love you," she smiled again, even bigger.

"I will always love you, Jocelyn," and she cut the signal.

Where did Ron and Kim go?

I took a cold shower (after seeing her in that suit…), checked more notifications, and waited after I changed clothes (no time for my own personal pity party for one). I was picking up my travel bag about 2 hours later when Mom paged: someone's at the door for you.

I headed out of my room. Mom and Dad were at the front door, and Will Du standing there with a totally altogether-unexpected smile on his face.

"Wade?" Mom hugged me. "Be careful, son."

"I will, Mom," and Dad hugged me, also.

"Let's go, Will," we ran to the new plane in the GJ fleet: a multi-passenger jump jet with V/STOL capabilities.

Will headed for the cockpit when we got in the jet, and I grabbed the last empty seat in the back of the jet with the remainder of the agents and Rebecca Jane.

"Are we ready, Dr. Load?" Will's voice came over my comlink.

"Hit it," and he did.

-----

(Middleton, Colorado, November 21: event day 30)

(Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable.

Ron and I had left right after Joe called us that morning: he'd confirmed that they were dealing with one of our own types: WeatherBuggg was a supervillian by designation, and Joe had been contacted when the designation was made at the same time his location had been confirmed.

Joe had provided the ride: a sturdy weather-hardy mini-jet, designed for no more than 12 passengers, crew, and cargo.

We both had our battlesuits on under the regular mission clothes: this seemed to be the best camouflage, we'd learned from past encounters.

I had my gloves on, and I wore my engagement ring underneath on this trip rather than in the concealed pouch that Wade had designed into the suit. I slipped that hand's glove off when we were airborne and took Ron's hand in mine as we headed to a spot outside of Mills City, Montana. Joe already had US DEA, US Border Patrol, and visiting agents from CBSA and CISC. All groups had decided that this was certainly a joint venture, and no one had joked about the upcoming raid, including their counterparts from the other side of the border.

Along the way, we were briefed on the people that WeatherBuggg had partnered with: a rather motley and nasty group of individuals, and all had agreed that we would go after the 'Buggg while the agents would tackle the smugglers.

I slipped my fingers between Ron's as we flew; he looked at me and smiled.

I will never grow tired of that smile: goofy, caring, and loving all in one neat tidy package.

'How did I get this lucky?' was my mantra lately, especially after I talked with new friends at college who had gone through boyfriends like Drakken had gone through take-over-the-world plots.

I slipped my glove back on before we landed. We dropped to the ground silently in the middle of a mini-blizzard; the snow was blowing, but not near as bad as only a few minutes before. We all ran to the assigned vehicles, numbered on the outside with removable magnetic signs, and the last person entering the vehicle pulled the sign in with them.

"What do you have planned, KP?" Ron whispered to me as we rode.

I licked his ear.

"Besides that, KP?" he blushed.

"You take out the machinery, I'll smash the Buggg?" I suggested, and Ron nodded.

"Maestro Distracto, at your service, madam," he bowed in the car, and two of the female agents giggled.

Even the other guys smiled, but only for an instant.

"Are you ready, Kim, Ron?" Joe's voice came clearly over our comlink.

"Ready and tired of snow, Joe," Ron answered, and several heads nodded.

"Good: it's an abandoned warehouse on the edge of Mills City. The local force and DCI have the place under surveillance."

"Mel?" I asked.

"Of course, Kim: who did you expect: Professor Demented?" Mel's voice came over the comlink, and the laughter was unanimous in our car.

"We got this car especially for you, Kim," Mel added as the roof over Ron and I slid open as we pulled to a stop. I spotted several good landing spots and one perfect one.

I pointed at the one I liked, and Ron nodded his approval. We hit the controls, and the one-way tinted bulletproof glass covered our faces. We looked like faceless mannequins as we sat, motionless and waited for 95 seconds in the falling snow (Ron: Well you certainly have the figure for modeling, KP; Me: I got nuttin'. Me: You do, too, have the figure for it, Ron, especially the lower body, I grinned. Ron: well, Booyah.).

"Go," Joe called, and we fired our lines and rose up through the rear roof of the car, the roof closing as we left the vehicle.

"Gotta get me one of those, KP! Elvis has left the vehicle!" Ron shouted through the howling wind as we landed on the roof.

"Let's dry after we get inside," I shouted as Ron burned the lock off the roof door, and we stepped in, quietly.

I hit my controls, as did Ron, and the suit dried our outer clothes.

'Wade, my friend, you rock soooo far ahead of the curve,' and I mentally blew him a kiss.

'Cousin Joss, you are soooo lucky,' I thought as we stepped quietly to the end of the hall and listened.

"KR, go on 3. I send the teams right after you," we clicked our message receipt.

"Ready, Ron?" I looked back as he glowed blue for a second.

"Ready, my beloved," he smiled and leaned over, kissing my cheek.

I felt myself blush, and then I remembered in time to remove my glove and put my ring in the pouch, replacing the glove before Mel started the count:

"1……

"2……

"3! GO GO GO GO GO!" and Ron and I slammed through the doors and faced the smugglers, stuffing bags of money and crating more spray cheezi and marijuana.

"There!" Ron shouted and pointed to the diminutive man with the –

I couldn't help myself:

I burst out laughing.

You would, too, if the supervillian wore four green, fake insect antennae.

"Weatherbuggg!" Ron called, and the 'Buggg turned, looked at me and smiled as we dropped the cowls and showed our faces.

"KIM POSSIBLE!

"Who's the blond bimbo with you?" and Ron flashed blue in his eyes.

"Step away from the controls, Bugbreath," and two of the smugglers laughed as they lifted their Uzis, but they quit laughing when the other side of the building blew open and Montana DCI and DEA agents led the mutli-government assault, guns blazing over their heads, knocking out the lights.

"I think not, Kim Possible: I've already got the next assault building, and California will see a White Christmas that Crosby never imagined," and he hit a button that sparked the control unit.

"Now, you can have it: I've burned the controls in so nothing can change the settings or terminate them," and he shot a liquid at both of us from his wrist.

"Acid!" Ron shouted as his outerwear began to burn off; unfortunately for Ron, the acid hit the belt buckle first, and his pants fell to the ground.

"Oh, man, not again," and he looked down as his pants disappeared in a puddle.

"What –" Weatherbuggg looked at us, standing there in the now-revealed battlesuits.

Two jumps later, and I had his hands behind his back.

"OWWW!" he yelled as I pulled his arms behind him, hard. I shot the fast-hardening plastic foam-cuff mixture from the suit, and his hands were locked behind him. I shot his feet for good measure, and he wasn't going anywhere.

"KP!" Ron shouted, and I looked up at him.

He was looking at the flat-panel display above the console: the upper atmosphere and ground temperatures were dropping past -30 F, and fast.

"Go, Ron," I yelled, and he placed his hands on the console.

The console flashed a brilliant blue for an instant; then it shone a steady bright blue for over a minute.

I watched the temperature readings as they slowed their descent, halted at -45 F for a moment, then turned and journeyed upwards and leveled off at +25 F.

"We can't let all the snow melt at once, can we?" Ron smiled, and he grabbed the console again.

By this time, GJ, CBSA, DEA and Border Patrol agents had taken the smugglers with 'minimal' gunfire: minimal, in this case, meant only 6 casualties, all wounded, no dead. Mel had the lead smuggler in cuffs, and Joe was smiling as he walked over to us. Joe bounced off of thin air, hard.

"Forgot to tell you, Joe: Ron put up the 'suit shield so the bullets wouldn't 'bother' us while we dealt with WeatherBuggg," I grinned as I shut the shield down, and Joe came over and stared at my glowing-blue BFBF.

"MMP?" he asked, and I nodded.

Ron let out a howler monkey scream as he held the console, and the sound lasted for almost a minute. The smugglers all tried, unsuccessfully, to cover their ears; the handcuffs prevented that, unfortunately.

When Ron finally stopped his howl, the silence was deafening.

But, the silence also meant that the wind had slowed or stopped outside.

Ron fell to his knees, and I ran over to him. Joe was right behind me.

"Are you all right, Ron?" and he looked up, his eyes still burning blue.

He stood and walked over to Weatherbuggg, now scared enough to be creating a clothing color, odor and dampness change at what he'd witnessed Ron do to his machine.

"You've messed with Mother Nature, Weatherbuggg, and Mama's not happy," Ron smiled as his eyes continued to glow bright blue.

"And, you know what they say:

"If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't No Bugggsies happy," and Ron reached up and ripped the fake antennae from his head.

He screamed.

Obviously, some evil geniuses aren't as bright as others, and this one obviously rode the 'short bus': Weatherbuggg had glued the antennae onto his head with Superglue, and Ron's yank took off a healthy clump of hair and a bit of scalp.

He handed the antennae to the owner, sticking them into the hardened foam around his feet.

"Now, you've been planted: let's see of some common sense grows."

"Don't make Mother Nature angry, again, Johann: she's one bad mother-"

"RON!" came from both Joe and me.

"I was just going to say 'mother nature lover,'" he grinned, and the blue glow disappeared.

"Are you all right, KP?"

"Right as rain, Ron."

"You mean, smooth as snow," Joe added, and Ron stared at him.

"I don't get it," he said, and he winked at Joe.

"KIM!" Mel yelled over the comlink.

"Patch into the Bunker frequency: They've had avalanches at both of the locations where _**BlazeIT! **_went, and they're bad ones."

-----

(Lake Louisa May Ski Resort, Alberta, Canada, November 21: event day 30)

(Jocelyn Possible)

We landed in a parking lot of one of the two lodges furthest away from the main area, Emerald Isle Lode, that they had cleared cars out of so that we could come down on site rather than landing in Calgary and hopping across the 2 hours by vehicle (on a good day, weather-wise, which this certainly was not). I'm glad I took Momma2's advice and took a pill long before I left: at least my lunch stayed down, and that was more than I could say for a couple of the new GJ agents. Lucky for him, Fletch had taken the same advice and pill, and he made it relatively unscathed.

The ramp dropped at the back of the plane, and we departed on skis and in one of three winter-modified ATVs that Rebecca Jane had 'acquired:' Arnold was driving, and he handled it well.

The jet took off, and we were about 50 yards from the main lodge when all of the PosComms, set to notification, beeped a warning: incoming tremors.

"Quake!" Arnold yelled over the comlink, and everybody went to ground.

I'd never been in an earthquake: I was scared out of my mind as I lay there face down, feeling the ground rumble all around and roll beneath me, trying so very hard not to cry and run home to Daddy and Wade. I heard screams around me and crashing sounds, groaning and cracking and snapping of large wooden beams.

When it finally stopped (it felt like days, but it was actually only 25 seconds, according to the readings I saw much later), we stood and stared as we dusted ourselves off, checking for any breaks or sprains:

Fully one-third of the lodge had collapsed, and the other two-thirds were leaning precariously.

Arnold was a commander at heart and mind, and he was ready for the test:

"James: you and Fletch and Lindsey, take your team to Western Louisa May Lodge and start evac on the folks still inside," and James and Fletch led the way in the ATV, followed by Lindsey and the rest of the team, on skis, to the back of the lodge.

"Joss, two, with me: we're goin' treasure huntin' in the rubble; the rest of you, to the back side of the lodge and start evac on those folks," and I jumped into the ATV with Arnold, and the four of us were off.

While we ride, my PosComm went off again:

Avalanches likely, all along the mountain.

Arnold slammed on the brakes at what had been the front door, turned to me, and smiled.

"Joss, here's where Wade's gear gets its real test: what can you see?

I pulled out the FIRE unit, and scanned the front of the building.

"We have three people about 4 meters behind there," and I pointed to a spot about a meter to the left of the headlights. The two agents headed for the spot, checking for stability, and burrowed into the brick and plaster walls.

"That's the lowest hanging fruit, Arnold," and I did a full scan of the collapsed structure.

"I've got 23 people identified in this part of the building, Arnold," and I gulped. "15 appear to already be dead: their bodies are cooling, and there's no heartbeats coming through on the unit. Eight are definitely alive, but three are badly hurt.

"Them first," Arnold replied. "Where?"

"Under the deep pile over there, Arnold," and I pointed to the largest pile of rubble: the three-story section of the building.

"GOT THEM!" the female agent yelled, and she and her partner came out with all three in two: she was carrying the child, and he was leading the two adults out, walking. They looked relatively unscathed: cuts and bruises.

"Can I help?" and I turned to see a tall young man in NSRS gear, carrying a medical bag. He looked at me and started to say something, but he noticed the _**BlazeIT!**_ emblem on my suit and _**JP**_ underneath it.

"Excuse me, Miss Possible; I'd welcome you to Alberta, but it appears your welcome was a bit rough," he went to work on the child as he spoke, checking for breaks and finding none, then checking the parents (they turned out to be a family on holiday).

"Thank you, Doctor." I headed to the spot that Arnold and the other male agent were already at, looking for the best entry paint.

"It's Ben, Miss Possible," and he went back to his charges, calming the child when he saw blood on his mother's leg.

"I'm J.T., by the way," the female agent said as she skied alongside me on foot.

"Joss," I replied, and she laughed.

"Yes, Miss Possible, I know who you are," she responded.

"Joss; not Miss Possible: Joss, especially here."

"Yes, Ma'am," she grinned as she pulled up behind the men and stuck her hand out. I shook it, and we stared at the testosterone festival.

"Well?" I asked after a moment, and I turned on my deep Western drawl. "Have the big, strong me-en decided how to tackle this mess besides with a bulldozer?" I grinned.

"Now, you're just being a woman, Joss," Arnold pointed at a spot on the wall and sprayed a mark at the spot.

"Is that the spot?" and I scanned and gave him a thumbs' up.

"Hit it, Jason," and Jason pointed at the wall, delicately slamming into and through the large wooden exterior timbers; the wood yielded to form an opening big enough for four.

"Let's go," I announced, but Arnold grabbed my arm.

"Not you, Joss," and I glared at him.

"And, you have another dozen people in your pocket?"

"If anything happened to you, Joss," he pleaded with his eyes, but he knew he had lost.

He released my arm and pointed: "Lead the way, Miss Possible," and I went in.

I don't know what Jason had used to form the hole, but the walls were perfectly smooth for about 4 meters, and it opened up onto a large room piled with debris from the floors above.

I scanned and pointed at the larger pile of furniture: couches were piled on top of something or someone.

Jason walked over, bent down, and pulled a couch out of the way with one grunt.

Nothing moved, but a tiny whimper came out.

"help…."

"We're coming!" I replied, not realized that I'd shouted. "Hold on!" and Jason looked at the pile and began to systematically pull furniture away, and the pile never gave any indication of collapse.

"Hold!" Arnold yelled, and he went to a spot and knelt down. He reached into the pile and pulled out a hand, followed by a small arm and head, and then the rest of the body came out.

I went to the young girl and took her hand, and she looked up at me in shock.

"I know you!" she said. "You were in the Middleton Airport with Kim, last Christmas," and I tried to think back, and I remembered:

"Jesse, right?" and she beamed as Arnold, Jason, and JT pulled her two more people from the furniture and rubble pile.

"MOMMY!" she yelled as she saw her mother: I helped her up, and she ran to her open mother's arms.

"Mommy, it's another one of Kim's friends from the airport, remember?" and she grinned as her mother furrowed her brow and looked at me. Recognition slammed her face as she saw my red hair sticking out of the cowl.

"Miss Possible! What are you doing here in Alberta?"

"I should ask you the same question, Officer," and she smiled even bigger. "Are the Middleton mountains not good enough or do you need to find your earthquakes and avalanches in other places?"

"My husband: it's a mixed marriage, he' Canadian and I'm Native Texan," and I laughed as her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "We came up to see his parents…" she got real quiet.

"We're not finished, Officer: there's some more work for us to do, so if you'll head down that tunnel, there a doctor from NSRS at the end to help you," Arnold told the family, and the husband nodded and started to lead his family out, but the daughter broke free and ran back to me, jumping into my arms.

"I want to be just like you and Mommy and Kim when I grow up, helping people. Thank you," and she kissed my cheek, jumped down, and ran back to her mother. They waved as they went into the tunnel.

"We've got more," I said after a second, pointing the FIRE unit at the next group of heat sources.

"Let's find Jessie's grandparents," and we went towards the next group.

I looked over at Jason and Arnold, and both of them were wiping dirt out of their eyes. JT wasn't trying to hide her feelings: she had tears on her face, and she looked at me and smiled, walking closer to say something to me.

"How do you handle it, Joss?"

"Handle what, J.T.?"

"That: the little girl's comments, the mother's fears, all of it?"

"Talk to me when this is over, J.T., and I'll even buy the root beer, back at the Bunker. Or, ice cream, if you prefer."

"Both?" she grinned.

"Oink, oink, squeal," I replied, and she giggled.

"Root Beer Floats, on me," I agreed, and we headed for and reached the next spot.

-----

We were lucky: Jessie's grandparents were in the undamaged (well, less-damaged) section of the building that James, Fletch, and the team had evacuated, and we saw them after we finished getting the final five people out of the building. NSRS had arrived and had established a command post, and had tents up for the survivors and those that didn't make it (they were away from the open areas where there were kids present.

Just when I had picked up a cup of hot chocolate, the PosComms went off s second time.

Avalanche: huge ones, and the locations. I grabbed the nearest NSRS rep I could find and showed him the PosComm screen.

"Any skiers in these areas?"

"Shouldn't be; those are the out-of-bounds areas, and there are signs posted everywhere. If it's anyone, it's Yanks," he replied with a look.

"Like me," I smirked, and he blanched.

"Sorry, Ma'am," he started to apologize, and I waved him off.

"No big," and his eyes almost took over his face.

"Are you-"

"No; Cousin," I smiled. "I get that a lot.

"Joss Possible, _**BlazeIT!**_ S&R.

"ARNOLD!" I yelled over the comlink, and he dropped his coffee: he was a foot in front of me.

"We need the jet: there may be avalanche victims," and he called the jet before I could say another word.

"Mind if I tag along?" he asked. "I know these mountains: raised here," he added as he followed me.

"Hope you don't mind the 'Yank' smell."

"Ouch. I deserved that.

"I'm Howard Henry, by the way," he yelled over the jet spill.

"Hop in, Howard Henry," I added as the jet landed. "But, strap yourself in: this jet hauls."

Before we launched, I launched three MASH units and slaved them to my FIRE unit.

-----

"Head for the South Face," Howard said into the microphone. "That's where the least likely place for NSRS to be, since it's further away from the chair lifts.

"Here," he pointed to the PosComm screen. I touched the screen, and told the pilot to head here first.

I pulled out the FIRE unit and set it to max gain with the MASH unit.

Howard looked at it.

"What can that little thing do?"

"Find the skiers," I replied, and three beeps.

The pilot had turned before I told him, and he was over the location in less than 45 seconds.

Piles of snow.

Piles, and piles, of snow.

"Where?"

"Down," Arnold sent coordinates to the pilot; he had found the only hard pack on the deposited snow. We all exited, and I headed for a spot.

"Down 45 degrees, approximately 4 meters down, three heat sources," and Jason and J.T. dug like lives depended on it.

"How long have you been in this business?" Howard asked me after a few minutes of flying snow from the expanding site.

"My first trainwreck," and his jaw dropped.

"My sincere apologies, Miss Possible: you know your shit," and he stuck out his hand.

"GOT'EM!" Jason yelled, and Arnold jumped into the hole.

Howard ran over and tossed a line in, then tied it to one of the fallen trees.

Out came the three skiers, Jason, J.T., and Arnold.

"You're very lucky," Howard glared at them, "that there were professionals close by to save your sorry bums."

-----

(Mount Middleton Recreational Ski Resort, Middleton, Colorado, November 21: event day 30)

(Dr. Wade Load)

"Did Lindsey do all that to him?" I asked Rebecca Jane as we rose.

"Oh, yea," she smiled.

"He's not even frustrated with Kim and Ron anymore," and it was time for my jaw to drop.

"WHAT?"

"It's true, Wade."

"How?" I asked, but before she could respond or Will could announce the sitch, my PosComm buzzed.

Rebecca Jane's went off at the same time.

Avalanches. Multiple. Mount Middleton Recreational Ski Resort. Casualties.

"We're going in hot," Will over the comlink. "We have people who need us last week.

"We'll do the quick deploy-rear, Rebecca Jane. I'll put the jet on remote and deplane after I drop everyone. Five minutes until drop, people, so let's get ready.

"What's that, Rebecca Jane?" I asked, and several agents laughed.

"We're not landing, Wade."

"Are we jumping?" more laughter.

"More like dropping, Wade," and she hit a button on the side of her seat, and the seats all swiveled to face forward, and I heard a mass sound of steel dropping into place.

"Strap in, Wade," and she, now in front of me, reached up and pulled down crossing chest straps. I did the same, locking them in clamps on my seat.

"Now what?" I asked, and the back of the plane opened as the jet dropped speed suddenly and dropped straight down.

I passed my stomach on the way down.

We hovered, then the plane shot forward as a large parachute deployed behind us, caught air, and the entire floor of the jet was pulled out and landed on the snow behind the plane, dropping only a few feet to the ground.

"Let's go, people!" came from Rebecca Jane, and the entire group of agents unhooked in unison and all stood. I was still trying to get free.

One of the agents came over and helped me get out of the web of harnesses.

I felt like Ron, parachuting.

I reached down, grabbed my bag and ran to my assigned SnowTV. I jumped in with Rebecca Jane behind the wheel.

"Your place or mine?" I grinned, and she gunned the engine and took off before I had my seat belt on.

Never piss off your driver: a good rule to follow, guys.

-----

We drove through the roads where cars were buried; finally, we got to the Mount Middleton Recreational Ski Resort; that is, what we could see:

I launched three MASH units and sent them to points where I could triangulate anything we found, and I slaved them to my FIRE unit.

A wall of snow easily 20 feet tall hid almost the entire face of the lodge. The path up to the mountain where the chair lifts were was gone, only sticks that I later realized were the cable poles were sticking out of the snow.

A handful of people were coming from behind the snow wall, and Rebecca Jane drove up to them.

"How's the lodge?"

"It was a surprise, ma'am: the design worked," one of the ladies said.

"What design?"

"Mine," a man replied, stepping out from the small pack.

"Hector Mendez, designer of the snow guide system. We installed it last winter after installing several in the Pyrenees and Alps, and it passed with flying colors."

"WHAT PASSED?" wow, I never knew Rebecca Jane could yell like that, and Hector was obviously surprised, as well.

"The snow guide system: the snow from the avalanche is guided into the river channels by a series of what appear to be decorative baffles, and the lodge survives."

"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE ALONG THE RIVER?" She grabbed his collar and shook him as she yelled, then she threw him to the ground.

"Wade," she calmed down a bit, and I was already scanning downstream from our site.

"He got lucky: I'm only finding 10 people, and they're all moving this way," and as if on cue the people that dodged the real-live snow plow came around the corner.

"HELP!" a man yelled from the group called, and Rebecca Jane and I ran towards her.

He was helping a lady who looked like she could barely stand, and she was carrying a bundle in her arms.

I reached her first, and looked into her bundle.

An infant, almost totally blue.

I touched her: cold.

I checked for a pulse: barely.

I took the infant and yelled for a doctor over the comlink while I started infant CPR.

I kept going for a long time as the mother watched me, cold tears on her face as the man held her.

"I tried to get her warm after we got out from under the mountain of snow that landed on us. I couldn't," and I realized that he was wearing only a t-shirt: the bundle that she was wrapped in was his jacket and shirt.

"Wade." A soft voice.

Rebecca Jane put her hand on my shoulder.

"Wade." She repeated.

I didn't hear her.

I didn't want to hear her.

I knew what she was going to say, and I didn't want to hear it.

"I'm sorry, Wade," as the medical team ran up next to me and stopped. I looked over my shoulder and saw a flash of red and yellow: Hot Dogs, and I remembered my conversation with Joss.

"You did everything you could, Wade."

"NO! She's NOT gone, Rebecca Jane! I can do more!" I kept going, but the mother reached over and touched my face tenderly after a few seconds.

"Thank you for caring, sir," and I looked up to see my tears reflected in hers.

"Thank you for trying to save my daughter," she took her baby from my arms.

Before I could respond, my FIRE unit went of with an almost steady stream of locator beeps.

I looked down at it and grimaced.

"Bad news, Rebecca Jane: **that's** our problem," and I pointed up towards the mountain.

"I'm counting over 200 heat sources up there, and that doesn't include the ones that are far too still: that's another 40 or so."

"Wade, do you-" and I tossed her the bag.

"60 FIRE units, Rebecca Jane, all itching to be used, and all configured to be slaved to the MASH units," and I swear I thought she was going to jump me in the show. Her hug almost smothered me, and she pulled away just as Will came walking up, laughing at what he saw.

"Will! Catch!" she tossed him the bag of FIRE.

"FIRE Units. Get them to all the agents, and make sure that they all have their locators set to maximum power and slaved to the MASH units. It's easy to do: even a big mouse could do it. We're heading up the mountain.

"How many?" he asked.

"At least 200 that we can find right now," she replied as she ran towards the SnowTV, and Will sucked wind. He reached onto his back, pulled his skis off, dropped them to the ground and stepped into them.

"WADE! Haul you scientific ass over here, toot sweet!" Rebecca Jane? I grinned as I ran to the SnowTV and jumped in.

"Let's go, genius hero," and she gunned it. We shot up the mountain, heading for the highest point where we had received an infrared reading.

"Are you all right, Rebecca Jane?" as we moved up the mountain.

"I'm fine, Wade," she said into the channel that she had secured for the two of us, "how about you?"

"I'm scared out of my mind, Rebecca Jane."

"You sure didn't show it, back there with that mother and her child, Wade:

"You were more professional than most people I've seen in similar situations: calm, head in the game, and compassionate.

"I'm glad I got to see that it confirmed what I've always thought of you, Wade.

"And, really, Wade, I'm fine," she turned her face towards me for a moment, and her face was dried from tears that had fallen while we drove.

"Snake muffins, Rebecca Jane," and she laughed.

"You're as scared as me; the thing is, I can get away with it, me being younger that all of you.

"I won't tell, Rebecca Jane, I promise," and she smiled at me and kissed the air.

"Does she know just how lucky she is, Wade?" she asked as we neared the site.

"I try to tell her all the time, and sometimes she actually believes me," I replied, dead-panned, and she laughed again.

"Thanks, Wade.

"We're here, according to the bearings," and we stopped in front of a pole sticking about a foot out of the snow.

"Straight down, Rebecca Jane," I told her, checking the readings. "Looks like about 5 meters down."

"How many?"

"Ten or twelve, I can't be certain: they're huddled too close together."

"Well, so much for shovels," and she pulled out a set of devices and stuck them into the ground, about 6 feet out from the pole and in a circle.

"Wade, take the TV outside the range of the circle," she told me, and I got in the driver's seat.

"Rebecca Jane?"

"What?"

"Do I have to have a driver's license to operate this vehicle in an emergency?"

She looked at me like I'd just turned into Will and Betty at the same time, then burst out laughing.

"Drive, mister," she commanded.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, starting it and pulling it forward out of the circle's radius.

Before I turned around, I heard a gigantic "POOF!" and felt a splash of water slam into my back.

I turned, and the snow inside the radius was gone: there was a perfect six-foot circle around the pole that went down about 4 meters: I could tell that because I could see the tops of hats sticking out of the snow.

Rebecca Jane shot her line into the ice wall on the far side of the hole that she'd made, then turned and shot another one in the opposite wall.

She hooked four lines to the cross line and tossed one to me.

"Going down" she stated and jumped, landing on the snow as she slid down the line to the top of the bottom of the hole.

"Next," I yelled as I followed her lead, landing not quite as gracefully.

She dug for a few seconds, grabbed a hand sticking up, and pulled. A body followed, coughing up a fit of snow.

I did the same and got the same results: this one was a young man, a bit older than me.

We pulled 15 out of the hole: there were three full lift chairs that had been pushed back into the cable support pole when the snow rolled in.

The ones that couldn't climb up the lines, I gave a ride up on my back after I shot my line into the pole sticking out of the ground.

We checked vitals: other than being cold (D'OI!!), they were remarkably well. We left a heater and a locator beacon for them and radioed to the patrols to send a snow bus up the mountain for them.

I forgot to ask Rebecca Jane what she used to get rid of the snow.

-----

"Not bad for your first rescues, Wade," Rebecca Jane said as we headed to the fifth and final site.

"It looked a lot easier than it really WAAAAAAAAA!" the SnowTV fell into a hole that appeared in front of us.

We flipped forward on the way down and landed upside down in the bottom of a deep crevasse, and the engine kept running.

"Rebecca Jane!" I got no response.

"REBECCA JANE!" and I got a low moan.

I unstrapped and fell, tucking so I didn't smash my head against a hidden rock or tree branch or something; unfortunately, I twisted my arm when I landed: that was not fun. I reached up and turned the engine off: no use burning gas or suffocating at the bottom of a hole.

I found Rebecca Jane on the ground, and her left leg was twisted underneath her.

It didn't look pretty.

"Where's the medical bag?" I yelled at myself as I dug through the things dumped on the hole floor.

"I left it with the last group," she said, and winced as she tried to sit up.

"Stop, RJ: your leg's broken, and my arm's a bit twisted, so neither of us is in the best of condition.

"I think I can get Will on the PosComm if I bounce off a satellite; otherwise, we may be here a while," and I pointed the PosComm straight up and fired a signal.

Nothing.

I went to the other side of the vehicle and thought for a minute, and then I decided:

I unhooked my suit top from the bottom and pulled it off, leaving my t-shirt on.

I came around the vehicle and tried to put the suit top on Rebecca Jane, and she pushed me back.

"What in the heck are you doing, Wade?"

"Getting you warm, RJ: the top of the suit has a built-in body heat enhancer, so it'll help you stay warm."

"And you don't need the, why?"

"I've got the bottoms: same thing there.

"Besides, Rebecca Jane, your suit is torn, and the heat exchanger's busted."

"Wade?"

"Yes?"

"I hate to tell you, but my top and your top-" she blushed.

"Gee, RJ, I never noticed," I smirked.

"You can wrap enough of you in it to keep warm.

"You're hurt, and you need this more than me. So, here," and I pulled it onto her shoulders and her body.

After she pulled it as tight as she could, "I'll gladly volunteer to help keep the rest of you warm," I smiled, and she smiled, but she had an evil grin cross her face after a few seconds.

"Joss, did you get that earlier transmission?" she asked, and I laughed.

'Right, Joss was on the line.'

"Shore thing, Rebecca Jane. Aggie, we need to talk when we get back," Joss' smirks came across the comlink.

Oops….

"Your PosComm may not reach the satellite, Wade, but my comlink in my suit is GJ-issue. I connected a few minutes ago while you were on the other side.

"Will's coming in a few-"

"Will's here, Rebecca Jane," Will called down from the top of the hole.

"I'd say something about women drivers, but Lindsey would kill me, so I'll be good for a change," and I knew Will was in serious trouble.

He and a couple of agents got a gurney down into the hole, and I managed to get Rebecca Jane into it without smashing her leg too badly. They pulled her up, and Will tossed a line down to me.

"Need a hand?" and I smiled as they reeled me up topside.

"Thanks, Will," I said as I topped the hole.

"Thank you, Wade: what you did likely saved her leg and her life."

"Not bad for a day's work, Aggie," came over the comlink, and I smiled.

"Right back at'cha, Sweet Tea," and I walked over to the SnowTV where Rebecca Jane was strapped onto the rear rider.

"Wade?"

"Yes, RJ?"

"One: you've more than earned that right to call me RJ.

"Two: thanks for the jacket. Does this mean we're going steady?" and she batted her eyelashes. I laughed.

"Three," and she motioned me closer. When I got close enough, she kissed me.

"Thank you, my friend. I told you before, and I meant it: me, a little younger, or you a little older, and I'd hyave to give Joss a run for her money," and a tear escaped her right eye.

"What about Arnold?" I asked, grinning like a full-bore idiot.

"He asked me last night, and I said yes," her grin split her face, and I had to do it.

"**BOOYAH!"** and my fist slammed into the air.

"Booyah, indeed, my friend. You get the second dance at the wedding, Wade: Arnold gets the first."

"What about your dad?"

"He'll understand after I tell him why. Hell, Wade, he may want a dance with you, himself, after what you've done," and both the SnowTV and Rebecca Jane headed down the mountain.

"Good job, Wade," and several hands slapped my back.

It wasn't a good job: an infant was dead.

I needed coffee: it was too darn cold without the suit top, and I shivered. Someone put a coat on my back, and I pulled it on. I never knew who to thank for that coat.

When we got to the bottom, Will had received the final numbers from Colorado Emergency Response:

We got all 200 plus 10of the 40 that we thought were dead (they punished us and lived…some punishment).

We lost a total of 38 people, including four teenagers, three kids, and one infant: the baby girl.

I didn't sleep well that night, thinking about the teenagers and kids and the infant that shared a makeshift morgue this evening.

-----

We dropped Rebecca Jane off along the way at the GJ Medical Site. Will, at my request, flew the rest of us to the Bunker for some down time

He didn't seem very upset about the idea, especially when Lindsey was there to greet him when the jet touched down at the Bunker pad.

They just held hands when he jumped out, but I could tell that both of them wanted to do a lot more.

"WADE!" I was assaulted by Strawberry Goodness as she performed more vertical CPR on me.

I didn't complain, and I contributed my part.

"Wade, I was so scared. I know you handed it all so well, but I was scared," her voice was so soft as she put her head on my shoulder.

"I was scared too, Joss, but I knew you were with me, in spirit," I matched her whispering.

"Private party?" and we both raised our heads:

"KIM!" I yelled.

"RON!" Joss yelled.

"JOE!" we both yelled, and Kim and Ron joined our hug.

"Joe, you'd better git your rump over here, of I'll sic Cousin Kim on you," Joss grinned, and Joe walked over and was captured by the Jocelyn Possible gravitational pull.

"What was the end result, Joe?" Lindsey asked.

"We took 25 prisoners, and we're filing for extradition on 10 of them to Canada.

"The drug take was 25 metric tons of marijuana, 20,000 cases of spray cheezi (twelve cans to a case), and a quarter-ton of Strawberri Shortstuff, that new meth/candy combination that they're targeting at the elementary schools: estimated street value is US $255 million, at current prices.

"The best news?" and Joe pointed up to the last of the falling snow flurries.

"Blue skies, thanks to all of you." and we all smiled.

-----

I will never forget Patricia Jeannette Chen, age four months forever, and I'll always remember that feeling of helplessness, of not being able to do everything and come out on top.

I still remember her mother's look when she took her from me, wishing that she could trade places with her daughter.

I went to her funeral, as did all of us that were on the mountain that day from Global Justice, and _**BlazeIT!**_, and I gave her parents a tiny jumper with the emblem and _**PJC**_ on the front.

Her parents thanked me for trying so hard to save her.

They sent me a note a year later: she had gotten pregnant and given birth to a baby boy; they named him Wade Joshua. I sent him a _**BlazeIT! **_a jumper with the emblem and _**WJC**_ on the front.

I couldn't save her, no matter what I did or could have done: that's what haunted me.

I asked Stephanie to look after Patricia; Steph always was a great big sister.

One day, when Mom and Dad were both out of town on business, I met with Kim at my house, and I told her that I now truly understood her for the first time, and then I told her about Patricia Jeannette. She cried with me.

I needed that.

-----

chapter now complete.

-----

**Author's afterward:**

-----

So many people to thank, so little space:

A very special set of thanks go out to the following:

Zaratan, as my resident expert on all things Canadian (how's that for stereotyping!): governmental agencies that don't appear on the Canadian government's web site, confirmation on medals information, and providing anecdotal evidence of the trafficking routes.

CajunBear73 and whitem for virtual beta'ing me this past week when I slammed them with two passes as the story grew like Drakken's reasons for not taking over the world. t the first 1/2 of the chapter:

Several of you, including King in Yellow, Star-Eva01, and Sir Sebastian in many discussions with them regarding disparate topics, some of which ended up in this chapter and others going other places (plot bunny re-use).

A very special thank you to the Egyptian Eagle-eye, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, for both beta-ing what turned out to be the first two quarters of the story (at that time, I thought they were thirds) and keeping me in line with discussions on everything but RuGo. Thanks, guy: I hope I've helped you as much as you have helped me.

Those unannounced readers who have read and not reviewed the past chapters and this one: thanks for stopping by. I hope I've given you some laughs, some tears, and some things to think about.

The most important person that I neglected to thank was Jana S: she was the inspiration behind Jocelyn's actions on the road that night (Late August, event minus 6 weeks….), because she did the same thing for another young man: stayed with him, as one Angel, when another Angel came and took him Home. Jana, I've told you privately, and now I'll tell you publicly: YOU ROCK in FULL DOLBY!

- - - - - -

**Preview: **

"WADE!" Joss yelled she pushed me down while the fire jumped and ran over our heads, and a CRASH from behind us confirmed my worst fears:

The wall behind us had fallen, and the fire had gotten behind us, again.

"Joss, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Snake muffins, Wade," she replied as she kicked the door in front of us open, and we ran into the room and slammed the door shut, pushing a dresser against the door.

Good news: the fire was outside the door.

Bad news: the room had no windows.

"Wade?" I looked at her, and she was terrified.

"It's fire, Wade," she whispered, and she threw herself into my arms and sobbed.

I knew what she meant:

Sheri Nicole, the fire outside of their cage, and Joss, forced to sleep for days laying next to her dead mother.

This was **not** going to happen again, not to Joss.

Not on my watch.

- - - - - -

Fire Saving Blues, Chapter 9 (the final chapter) of Training Table Blues: is next. Stay tuned….

- - - - - -

For all the Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.

I've established a forum ("JadeKimVerse discussions") where I will post more details about my current Jade stories, upcoming chapters and stories and schedules for release, as well as answer any questions that you may have. I'll continue to post to Zaratan's forum, but it's getting busier…

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

- - - - - - -


	9. 9: Fire Saving Blues

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

All references to any specific character or product by names mentioned in this story are not intended to parody or reflect negatively on the correspondingly existing products; any and all similarities are coincidental.

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

Questions:

Fire, and Sleep?

Answer:

Not a good combination…

A major crime wave has struck Middleton, and Shego's not involved.

Fire Saving Blues

--

Note: there is an epilogue to this story…look for chapter 10, coming out within 24 hours after chapter 9's release.

--

Chapter 9: Fire Saving Blues

--

(Information release authorized from the following sources:

Archives and logs of Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load

Archives and logs of Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load

Archives and logs of Dr. S. C. (Slim) Possible

Archives and logs of Dr. Kimberly Ann Possible-Stoppable

Archives and logs of Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable, Esq.

Archives and logs of Miss Sarah Janine Best

Archives and logs of Major Rebecca Jane Casey-Carlos, Global Justice

--

(Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load: Middleton, Colorado)

--

"HELP!" a man yelled from the group called.

He was helping a lady who looked like she could barely stand, and she was carrying a bundle in her arms, and Rebecca Jane and I ran towards them.

I reached her first, and looked into her bundle.

An infant, almost totally blue.

I touched her: cold.

I checked for a pulse: barely.

I took the infant and yelled for a doctor over the comlink while I started infant CPR.

I kept going for a long time as the mother watched me, cold tears on her face as the man held her.

"I tried to get her warm after we got out from under the mountain of snow that landed on us. I couldn't," and I realized that he was wearing only a t-shirt: the bundle that she was wrapped in was his jacket and shirt.

"Wade." A soft voice, but it was from…

"Wade, let me go; it's all right," the infant had opened her eyes, and her pure blues shone up at me.

"No, I can't," I kept going, tears now falling onto her. "You deserve to live, not die like-"

"Like I did, Wade?" I looked up, and Stephanie was standing there, reaching down.

She took the infant's hand, and the infant stood, but she was still under my hands.

"Thank you, Wade," and the infant kissed my cheek. "Now, please, let me go."

Rebecca Jane put her hand on my shoulder.

"Wade." She repeated.

"I'm sorry, Wade; you did everything you could."

"NO! She's NOT gone, Rebecca Jane! I can do more; I know I can!" I kept going, but her mother reached over and touched my face tenderly after a few seconds.

"Thank you for caring, sir," and I looked up to see my tears reflected in hers.

"Thank you for trying to save Patricia, my daughter," she reached down and took her daughter into her arms.

"Good-bye, Mommy: I love you," and the infant kissed her mother's cheek, a tear forming where the kiss was placed.

"I'll take real good care of her, Wade: don't you worry," Stephanie smiled and touched my face.

"Wade," her hand was so soft, so warm.

"Wade, come visit me this Christmas: you never call, you never write, you don't love me anymore," Stephanie pouted, and Patricia laughed at and with me.

"All right, Stephanie, but I'm bringing Jocelyn," I grinned and took her hand.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Wade," she kissed my hand, and I released hers.

"Wade," Stephanie and the infant began to fade, but it didn't hurt to see them leave any more.

"Goodbye, Stephanie; Goodbye, Patricia," I waved, and they both waved back as they faded into the black.

"Wade," I opened my eyes, and I saw Mom and Kim leaning over me, "Are you all right, Wade?" Kim asked with that smile I loved.

"Better now, Kim, much better," and I sat up, swinging my legs over to sit up on the couch.

"In fact, Kim, better than I've felt since Patricia died," and Kim smiled warmly.

"What happened, Kim?" Mom asked, and Kim sat down next to me and took my hand. "And, who's Patricia?"

"Your son," Kim smiled, "tried to save the life of an infant last week who was buried in the avalanche at the Mount Middleton Recreational Ski Resort. That's also the same place where he saved Rebecca Jane's life," Kim squeezed my hand.

"Your wonderful son, Rachel," Kim continued, holding up my hand, "wouldn't let the little girl go even after everyone around her told him that he'd done everything. It took the mother finally telling him to stop, thanking him for trying so hard," Kim was now fighting back tears, but Mom wasn't as lucky, "before he would finally give up.

"That's where he went three days ago, Rachel: he went to Patricia's funeral, and he paid his respects to her and her parents.

"He's made it, Rachel: he's made it all the way past his demons, and he survived. I don't know if I could have done what Wade's done," Kim wiped her face with her hand, "fighting all of these demons and defeating them so soundly.

"He called me while you and Ryan were out, and I came over. We talked;" Kim laughed, "well, he talked, I listened, and I taught him to do what Ron taught me when I'm wound up tighter than the mummies at the Museum: meditation, and centering. He was lying down to do it, and I guess he got too comfortable and fell asleep. I was trying to wake him when you walked in," Kim explained.

"Kim, you mean you weren't trying to slip me a little tongue? I'm hurt," I pouted, Mom almost fell over laughing after her initial shock, and Kim, to her credit, didn't take me out with kung-fu types 11-13.

"Yes, Kim, he's fine now if he's trying to get you again, especially with Jocelyn standing behind me," and Mom moved to reveal my fiery redhead, tapping her foot indignantly in those cognac-colored tall boots.

"Oops," was all I could say before we all broke out in a raucous group laugh, Mom hugging Kim and Joss and, finally, me, after Joss got over her pout and kissed my cheek to forgive me for my mouth.

--

"Joss," after I dug my way out of the hole I'd dug for myself, "you wanna make a short trip with me over Christmas?"

"Where to, Wade?"

"We need to do one other thing this Christmas, Joss, and I hope you won't be mad at me, 'cause I kinda promised someone that you'd be there," I grinned sheepishly, and she looked puzzled.

"Who, oh lonesome Aggie?"

"Stephanie," and Joss slammed into me and hugged me fiercely, and I could feel my shirt become instantly wet. Mom and Kim joined her, and I was soaked within seconds.

"Thank you, Wade," Joss whispered into my ear. "I'd be honored to come with you."

--

I had to tell Sarah what I was going to do this Christmas, and I knew she'd be perturbed: she'd never been to ANC when I told her about last Christmas after we got back, and she pouted for a week. I was hoping that she could come with us; she'd finally quit pouting last year after I got back and gave her her Christmas gift: a custom-designed backpack for her laptop and books that only weighed 15 ounces when empty.

Joss and Kim came into my room with me while Mom went into the bedroom tell Dad the good news, and I message'd Sarah:

(TPQ007) hey, S. Brother a pain again?

(bluebelle1316) hey, W; do you have a tan? (LOL!)

(TPQ007) LOLx2! Hey, are you gonna be here this Christmas?

(bluebelle1316) no, 'rents are taking us back east to visit Dad's family in Connecticut, and someone's got to ride shotgun on the brother. Why?

(TPQ007) finally ready to make the trip, S.

(bluebelle1316) SERIOUSLY? W, I'm so jellin' because I can't be with you. you and I will have to go when I get back, and I'll even buy the roses, k?

(TPQ007) (SOB) really wanted you there, but understand.

(TPQ007) you don't have a moodulator chip for your brother.

(bluebelle1316) (pout) only because you won't give me one.

(bluebelle1316) you got a spare (grins evilly)?

Joss tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at the keyboard. I moved over, and she started in.

(TPQ007) Sarah, this is Jocelyn Possible. I wish you could come: I really wanted to see you again, but I guess we'll have to wait until later.

(bluebelle1316) Jocelyn? Oh, this is so not fair! I'm stuck here in the house with the brother from Heck, and I can't let anyone come over without him reporting like a bad stoolie.

(TPQ007) How's Chip?

(bluebelle1316) (BIG GRIN!)He's a dreamboat, J, kinda like Wade, but not as well-tanned all over. I don't know, though: can I do a full check-out on Wade, J (evil grin)?

Kim and I laughed as we read the message.

(TPQ007) NO CHECKIE MY BOYFRIEND (LOL)!

(bluebelle1316) do me a favor, J: tell that hunk of Kobe that he'd better not scrimp on your Christmas present this year, k? (LOL) TTFN.

(bluebelle1316 offline)

"Kobe?" Kim was now laughing at me, and I grinned as Joss stared at me.

"Yea; well, when I first came back from Montana, Sarah saw me and kinda called me a hunk of 'prime Kobe beefcake,' and now Jocelyn was laughing along with Kim.

"Well," Joss finally calmed down enough to speak, "at least she recognizes prime beef when she sees it," came from the same place where the most seductive PG-13 cowgirl flirt she'd ever done to me came from, and I gulped.

"Sounds like an accurate assessment to me, too, Joss," and Kim gave me the same look that Ron had told me about: the LBD look.

College has matured her, and Kim's even sexier than before; my heart can't take this...

I was having a wonderful Thanksgiving, and she and Joss, they had to do this to me.

I passed out, and I know I heard laughing as I went down.

--

This past 12 months had been busy, what with bringing the Tweebs on-line as more active members of Team Possible, Slim and Betty's wedding, Arnold and Rebecca Jane's wedding, _**BlazeIT!**_ getting the headlines after the Weatherbuggg snowstorm, and so many little things (like Dementor trying to get tech so many times and getting captured every one of them, they named one of the GJ vans after him), that I was almost too busy for my course load. Unfortunately for my students, I had backup plans in place, so they never had an excuse to miss a lecture. I had an excellent TA to help with grading, but the automated processes I'd installed allowed me to have her work on pure research, and she didn't complain about that (and, before you ask, NO, she was NOT a redhead).

Rebecca Jane did break her leg, but she was able to get out of the hospital in only a few days. She was using crutches, but I think it was more for the ice on her hand than the cast on her leg. She had her wedding after Betty and Slim returned from their honeymoon, and both brides were resplendent…but, that's another set of stories, altogether.

I helped Becky and Fletch get caught up, and they were actually ahead of their next years' classes after we were done. They spent too much time enjoying training and harassing Arnold and Rebecca Jane, respectively.

That drug bust, last fall: the courts in two countries were packed with these cases. Weatherbuggg wanted his trial first in Canada, and he managed to get that to occur with the help of his lawyer. Kim and Ron were called as witnesses by the defense attorney to tell how badly they had abused his client. After the pictures were shown to remind his lawyer just who he was dealing with and they type of abuse described ("they removed his glued-on antennae, Your Honor"), their request to appear was magically withdrawn. He still got life without parole, and he was lucky: the Montana AG placed his case on hold, hoping that he would die before he had to take him to court.

The guys with the drugs all got life without parole, but not for the drugs: for the deaths that they contributed to with the weather disasters. That was a plea deal: the alternative would have been trials for over 75 deaths in the US and another 120 in Canada. They got to live, and Patricia had to die: that didn't seem fair to me.

Joss and I were good: we never went beyond kissing (no Frenching, all close-mouthed) and an occasional tactile review of her rear muscles. The massages that I gave and received were more than enough to keep me in cold showers for a long, long time.

--

My visit to Stephanie's grave was special:

Mom, Dad, Joss, and I were all that were there.

The city had wanted to place her in the pauper's grave area because her "parents" wouldn't pay for anything, but Mom and Dad paid for her funeral and burial expenses, so we went to a well-kept portion of the cemetery.

I didn't know it at the time; just like I didn't know that they had planned to surprise both Stephanie and me with the idea of adoption.

How I got this lucky to have parents like this, I'll never know, but they are and will be my role models, for life.

Mom and Dad had to take us to the spot: I was embarrassed to admit that I'd never been here since the graveside services, but Jocelyn understood.

I stepped up to the small plaque on the ground with her name, her birth date and the date of her death.

I knelt, placed the bouquet of yellow and white roses on her grave.

I couldn't speak for a long time, and Joss placed her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.

"Stephanie, I'm sorry," I began. "I didn't know, and you couldn't tell me.

"I wish I could do something to bring you back, Big Sister, but I can't," and by now I could hear Joss starting to sniffle. My face was getting wet.

"I understand, now, why you had to go, even though you couldn't say," and I smiled through my wet face,

"I **do** long for yesterday, for the times when I could read Milton to you, and you would lay there and smile at me while I did. I'd even settle for Shakespere: 'Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York…' (_Richard III, Act 1 scene 1_) but it's never going to be glorious for you, anymore.

"You didn't have to do it, Stephanie, but you never talked down to me, even when we first met, and you never showed me anything but love.

"Thank you, Big Sis, for everything," and I fell apart then. Joss held my shoulders as I shook for a few minutes, but then I regained control. I knew what I was going to say, to do, for her and all of them:

"I'm going to find them, Stephanie," and I stood, resolute, and looked up into the sky so she could see my face, my tears.

"I'll find all of your little brothers and sisters and make sure that they're all right, then I'll find the ones who made you do this, Stephanie," I had balled up my hands into fists by now,

"I'll find them and make them pay, all of them, Stephanie, I swear I will," and I fell to my knees, my face still to the sky:

"_**OH, GOD, I MISS YOU SO, STEPHANIE**_!" I screamed, and then I broke down and cried for her, truly cried, the way I could never do before.

I thought I had cried for her that night when I heard her diary, but I was wrong:

I missed my friend, my sister, my first true woman in my life besides my mother, and she had been taken from me.

'I would make them pay,' I thought as I raised my face to see Jocelyn staring down at me, scared for both my tears and the resolve that she could see in my eyes.

I would enact retribution upon all who had hurt her, who continued to hurt her brothers and sisters, all of the little ones who had no voice:

I would make them pay.

That's when Retribution began, when it was born; born from the heart of a hurt 15-year-old man-child who had buried his best friend in the whole world at nine, who had been frightened into spending a chunk of his life in his bedroom, who had been afraid to come out and face the dawn, who had been frightened of the demons that had killed her and haunted his dreams for so long, who had hurt his parents by robbing them of their son for so long..

'No more,' I thought.

"No more," I said, and I stood again.

"No more what, Wade?" Joss asked.

"No more fear: not on my watch, Jocelyn; not on my watch," I smiled, and I could feel her shudder.

"I'll be back, Big Sis, next year and every year after that until I'm with you again," I promised Stephanie, and I felt a chill blow across my face.

"I have to do it, Stephanie: I can't live, knowing what I know, able to do what I do, and sit by the side and do nothing, anymore," I explained.

"Dad, how much does a monument cost?" I asked as I turned to walk away, and simultaneously walk forward into my future, now confirmed and guided with laser-like precision:

No more illegal drugs: anywhere, anytime.

--

Joss' 16th birthday was a blast, for multiple reasons:

One, she was 16.

Two, she was here for the day after her birthday, Slim having thrown her a party for her and her friends in the house (most of them still had no idea what the Bunker was for, and Slim liked it that way).

She came down the next afternoon (a Saturday), and we went to dinner that night with my parents, Anne, and James. A nice, quiet dinner at a real restaurant.

But, you know me too well, don't you?

I'd even arranged for the sparkling grape juice for my 'juice lush' to be at the table, already chilled (along with a bottle of champagne for the adults) when we came in the door and sat, and we all toasted my lady.

I handed her two small boxes after dinner, and she barely managed to contain her squeal.

She opened the first one: it was a set of keys.

"What are these for, Wa- wait, are these what I think they are?" she didn't contain it this time, and she jumped up and grabbed me.

"WADE!" She smothered me with kisses.

James and Anne looked perplexed, but Mom and Dad already knew.

"It's keys for your car, Joss: you're gonna need one when you start college down here, and I thought I could help.

"Besides, you can drive the Professor to college," I grinned, and she whacked the back of my head.

"Any time, Aggie, any time," she grinned as she managed to make it back to her seat.

"I'm afraid to open the second one now, Wade: it couldn't be better than the first," as she ripped the packaging off. Mom grinned at me, and so did Anne: they both knew what it was.

She pulled the paper off to reveal a box.

She finally opened the box and revealed a jewelry container, and she started bouncing in her seat.

"I can't do this, Wade: you open it," she shoved the box in front of me.

I stood, picked up the box, and walked over to her, kneeling.

James gasped, and Anne squeezed his leg.

"Andrea Jocelyn, you have saved me, more times than I can imagine: you brought me from the depths of hell into a light so bright that I could hardly see. You've given me more than I could ever have imagined was 'possible,'" and she giggled as she started to shed a tear.

"I want you to know just how much you mean to me, just how much I love you, yet I made a promise to your Dad. Now, I want to make a promise to you," and I opened the box to reveal –

"A PLASTIC RING?" She exploded, and the entire restaurant exploded in laughter.

"Gotcha, Sweet Tea," and I lifted the WaferJane ring holder to reveal the real prize:

I removed the real ring from the box and placed it on her finger, the quarter-carat diamond and sapphire stones glimmering in the light as they held each other in place.

"I promise you that I will ask for your hand in marriage when you graduate from college, Andrea Jocelyn. I love you, and I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes," and I looked into those beautiful ice-blues of hers shining down on me, and I knew that I'd be back here in the future to do that very thing.

"I accept your promise, Wade, and I will wait for you, body, mind, and spirit. I want that night to be special; so, Uncle James, no need for black hole probes for my Wade or me, because we have decided that we are each worth the wait," and several patrons applauded, much to Joss' embarrassment.

"And," I grinned as I stood and motioned to the head waiter, "in honor of this event, I have the appropriate dessert," and the waiter brought out a covered tray that he placed in front of Joss, then lifting the lid to Joss' grin and Mom's uproarious laugh:

"Wadeshine," and I picked up one of the dark-chocolate-covered strawberries and fed it to my Jocelyn, a grin on her face that I never wanted to see disappear.

"Happy Birthday, my _**BlazeIT!**_ partner," and the kitchen doors opened as the restaurant lights dimmed to highlight a cake spelling out _**BlazeIT! **_rolling out for our table, along with HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOCELYN written across the tops of the cakes.

It was a big cake: it had to be, the restaurant was full that night, and we were serving cake to everyone tonight.

As if on cue, the entire restaurant, patrons and staff all, burst into song as the cake arrived at her side:

_**Happy Birthday to You!**_  
_**Happy Birthday to You!**_  
_**Happy Birthday, dear Jocelyn;**_  
_**Happy Birthday to You!**_

"Happy Birthday, Joss," I whispered as I watched the tears fall from her beautiful eyes, and she swatted at me.

"Now, lookit what you did, Wade! You got me cryin' and Ah'm so happy I don't know what to do," she pushed her chair back, stood, and grabbed me in a fierce hug.

"Thank you, my partner, my love, my forever," she whispered right before she kissed me, pulling me tightly against her body, sliding her hand down my back to just above my rear, and...

Her tongue gently parted my lips and entered my mouth.

It was her birthday, but I was the one getting the gift as our tongues touched, tentatively at first, then enough to make sure that we were not dreaming and not so much to push James over the edge.

When we separated to a full restaurant of applause (including, to my pleasant surprise, a huge grin on James' face and his hands in the applause pool), Joss grinned.

"Ah got you a present, too, Wade," and she turned me around to face a young couple that looked familiar.

CLICK.

"Mr. Chen!

"Mrs. Chen!"

"Hello, Wade," Mr. Chen smiled, and he looked over at his wife.

"Mom, Dad, this is Powell Thomas Chen and his lovely wife Margaret Theresa, Patricia's parents," and Mom and Dad stood and hugged them both. "Mr. and Mrs. Chen, these are my parents, Ryan and Rachel Load."

"This is James Possible and his wife, Anne," Mom introduced them to the Chen's, and they got more hugs.

I looked down when Margaret backed away from Anne, and I broke into a huge grin.

"Either somebody's really been snarfing down the WadeShine, or you're about 2 months from delivery," I chuckled, and she smiled.

"The latter, Wade: Jocelyn was nice enough to tell us you'd be here tonight, and we have something for you," and Margaret took two hands: mine, and Jocelyn's, and placed them on her stomach.

"This is Patricia's little brother:

"Wade Joshua Chen," and my eyes sprung a leak.

"It's as close as I could come, Jocelyn, and be a name that wouldn't get him beat up in school,' she laughed, "but I wanted you both to know.

"We also want to ask one other favor of you, Wade, and its definitely a 'Big:'

"Would you be your namesake's godparent?"

Brain shut down, rebooted, and reprocessed input: yes, that's what I heard.

"You…want me…?"

"I can't think of anyone better to be Wade's godfather than Wade, can you, Powell?" Margaret smiled, and Powell placed his arm around her shoulder.

"No one better, Peggy," he replied.

"wow," was all I could say for a moment, then I smiled.

"If I can have some help, Mom, Dad?" I asked as I turned around to look at them.

"I can't think of a better parental role model for me than you two," and Mom and Dad smiled and nodded their agreement.

I turned back to Joss and grinned. "How 'bout it, Joss? Ready to become a godmother?"

"ME?" she squeaked, and Powell chuckled.

"Hey, Wade's gonna need a godmother, and I can't think of anyone better equipped to help him fight demons than you," I kissed her cheek.

"Well…," she stopped for a moment, then smiled and nodded her agreement.

"Looks like Wade's got godparents, even if they aren't old enough to drink," I cracked, and the Chens joined in another hug.

"Thank you, Wade, for everything you did for Patricia, for us: I know she's up there, thanking you as well," she smiled.

'You have no idea how true that is," I thought, and I hugged her as Joss hugged her husband.

"Happy birthday, you two," Dad laughed as he pulled Mom, James, and Anne into our group hug.

"OK, let's have cake," I pulled away, and Joss looked at the cake again.

"Wade, this thing's huge! Who are we feeding, the entire restaurant?"

"Well…" I grinned as the waiters came up with her knife and several others to cut cake for everyone.

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

Ok, now let me get this straight: **you** want **me** to talk?

Do you have enough tape?

You're recording on disk? All right, let's get started….

After we came back from Christmas on the East Coast (or, as close to it as Connecticut could be described), I checked the Tri-City crime files.

It seems that the burglaries had stopped, so I didn't pester Wade about them.

Chip? That angel called me every day I was away with my folks. We had been dating since that February, that magical night, and we even made it after he left town that summer and during breaks to tour with his band.

I graduated 11th in my class and got into the MIST engineering program.

Chip came into town occasionally during the summer, dropping off a single lavender rose ("…because the rest were scared of being overshadowed by your beauty, Sarah," he told me the first time, and I kissed him good for that.)

My favorite moment of my first year of college:

I was sitting in the CS10101 class: Introduction to Computer Software. Hey, it was required, and no one was allowed to place out of it.

'Have you heard who's teaching, Sarah?" Jennifer asked. She was without Alex: a first, I thought, I'd seen her by herself in a long time.

"Not a peep, Jen. All I know is that it's not any of the 'Old Guard' because the posting on-line and the notice outside of the class still show TBD.

"That's a good thing, too: most of them think that C is a new language," and Jen laughed.

The lecture hall, packed with over 100 students in an auditorium-style room, absorbed sound when the door creaked, and the professor walked in pulling a trailing laptop case.

"It's 'Dork' Howser," one of the jocks behind me stage-whispered, and his buddies around him all laughed.

I grinned as he placed his laptop on the desk and powered it up, and the image projected onto the massive screen at the front of the classroom as well as the two, one on each side of the room.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Professor W. A. Load."

"More like 'W.I. de'Load," the same jock replied in his stage-whisper, and more laughs came from behind me..

"I'm filling in on this class and the other sections of CS10101 for Doctor Jonathan Smith; he's been called to NASA in Houston for a new study on spacecraft design.

"So, what do you do, kid: clean his office?" the jock called out, the laughs were loud and boisterous from behind me as well as some around me, but I just grinned.

Wade just smiled.

The jock was in trouble.

"Actually, Mr. Johnson, I just completed my session on a PhD review for Doctor Smith," and a couple of students started to get a clue.

"My background? Well, I guess I should tell you," and he hopped up on the desk and grinned.

"I have my PhD in Computer Science, a joint PhD in Aeronautical and Particle Physics, and a PhD in Economics," and I could feel the jock sinking in his chair. "I graduated Summa cum Laude in all three, and I'm currently completing my PhD in Chemistry. I hold the Stinson, B. I. Frey, and the Bernstein-AutoRef awards in artificial intelligence and cyber-robotics, alternate energy solutions research, and economics, respectively. In my spare time," he grinned to the now-silenced jock crowd, "have a couple of partnerships in which I participate," and he reached back and hit the laptop keyboard to shut down his blank screen and present on the giant screen two logos:

Team Possible; and _**BlazeIT!**_ Search and Rescue.

The lack of sound was deafening.

"My full name Wade Agamemnon Load," and the jock sank through the bottom of his chair, "and I am your worst nightmare," and, I swear, if Wade had been a vampire, fangs would have been visible with that smile, "a professor who doesn't care what you think of me. I'm concerned about your capabilities as a student, and I will do everything I can to assist you.

"Conversely, I'll nail your rears to the wall if you don't work.

"Can you escape me? No, since I'm teaching all four sessions of the class this fall, so your chances of missing me are slim and none.

"Spring session? Sorry, folks, but I've got them covered, as well.

"Good luck," he jumped down onto the floor and smiled.

"Any questions?" he asked, and one hand went up on the other side of the classroom.

"Yes, Ms. Shirley?"

"Dr. Load, I never had a chance to tell you:

"Thank you, sir. You and your team pulled us out of the avalanche on Mount Middleton, and I was at home the night of the 'Diablos,'" and she started to clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap. Clap. Clap. She was joined, standing, by two other students, also clapping.

Clapclapclapclapclap turned into a full lecture hall, all standing and applauding, even the jocks.

I felt so proud of Wade, and he stood there and soaked it in for a few moments, and as it began to drop in intensity he held up his hand, and the sound dropped rapidly as the students all sat.

"You still have to take the mid-term and the final," and the room laughed as one.

"So, let's get started with a little CS History," and Wade popped up the first slide from the syllabus.

We all made it past that first day, but most of the laughers ran screaming out of his classes later after he pushed them to actually work and study in a Freshman class. How rude….

I slipped once in class and called him Kobe, and I thought he was going to melt into the floor and choke trying not to laugh when he heard that.

One of my new girlfriends asked me what it meant after class, but I just smiled and told her it was a personal thing.

There were some occasional break-ins in the area, but nothing with the same pattern until after the end of school. There were another five break-ins within 10 days, and the residents all swore that they slept though it and never heard a thing.

One of them was a police officer, and that unnerved me: if he never heard anything, just how good were are these crooks?

The Motherboards were back in town for the summer, and I got to spend a lot of time with Chip and the band: I never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would become a band groupie, but there I was, helping Chip out with anything and everything.

I re-worked their sound system to be fully wireless and reduced the power requirements draw by over 60 per cent: that would make the venues extremely happy. For that, I got dinner and a date to remember, out on the Point.

No, I didn't, but I sure felt like I wanted to…he made me feel so safe in his arms, and I wanted to hold him forever.

His literature studies, unfortunately, he couldn't do where he had gone for his freshman year, so he transferred to Go City University for the sophomore fall term. His band's agent had also arranged for them to have a house in partial pay for playing at a local club there, so the whole band now could live and work from the same place. At least, I hoped that they worked….

--

(undisclosed location)

"Look, I got us moved here, and there's a lot more opportunities…"

Silence.

"I got you 55 this summer, so you know you'll get your money."

Silence.

"Yeah, I know, I still owe you 145, but I'm good for it, all right?"

Silence.

"You'll get your money, I swear. It's just gonna take a little more time."

Silence.

"You'll have it all by Christmas, I promise."

Silence.

"Don't go anywhere near my parents, or I swear I'll…"

Silence.

"All right:" and the phone slammed shut.

'Dammit! Why did I get hooked up with those goons?' he shoved his phone into his pocket.

'Now, I'm gonna have to come up with all 145 grand in 12 weeks, keep up the appearances and not get caught.

'That last part shouldn't be a problem,' he thought. 'The cops will never catch me because it's 'SleepyTime' for everybody," he laughed as he stirred up another batch.

Phone buzzed, and he pulled it out and answered.

"Talk to me."

Silence.

"Just working on another project, Chip: school has to come first, you know, and Organic Chem II is a bear."

Silence.

"No problem; give me another 90 – no, 60 – no, make it 45 minutes, and I'll be down for practice."

Silence.

"Later, dude," and he flips the phone shut.

'Need one more mask check,' he thought as he reached down for the poly-kevler-latex blend and pulled it over his head, shifting it into place. He checked the filters and then opened the spigot, allowing the gasified water to pour into the drain for 60 seconds with no effects on him, but the white mouse fell asleep within 15 seconds.

"Great! This batch is even more potent," as he shut off the spigot and turned powerful exhaust vent, reviving the mouse within less than two minutes after he'd shut the exhaust off and poured in a powerful blast of oxygen.

'Now, let's see: 5,000 square feet, two stories, two air conditioning units, fall in Go City, but the heat's still higher than the norm, and that means," and he completed his input into the computer program he had written, "I should be able to get one of these houses processed every two nights, and this should bring me about," and the program completed:

"Good!" and he shut the program down and removed his mask, combing out his hair and locking the computer workstation and cabinets before he turned off the lights and closed the door, locking it with his regular key and a bio-metric sensor that he'd installed after they moved in from Middleton for the fall semester at Go City University.

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

Alex and Jen were standing outside the Engineering building when I came out, and they did not look happy as they talked rather animatedly.

"Hey, lovebirds? How'ya doing?" I walked up to them and smiled. They turned and faced me, and they were anything but smiling.

"Not good, Steph. We got robbed last night," came from Alex, and Jen nodded.

"Robbed? Who would be stupid enough to rob a college student? Did they need a Traimen noodles fix, or what?" and Jen giggled.

"Some idiot, I guess," and Alex looked down.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"I didn't pay the security company monitoring last month, and they disconnected us two days before we got robbed," she looked up with a sad look on her face.

"Hey, love, it's not your fault," Jen put an arm around her shoulder.

"Yea, it was, Jen!" Alex pushed the arm away from her. "Besides, it wasn't my cheap-caca computer they took; it was your brand-new machine that you bought last week with your own money," Alex tried to look strong, but Jen's pout did her in, and she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Jen. I'll replace it, I swear!"

"Hey, you two, come over to my house when you've stopped pity partying, all right?"

"Why?" Alex looked upset with me and puzzled at the same time.

"Because, oh background girl," she laughed then, she'd been called the 'background lesbo' most of her senior year because she didn't make as much noise as Kim, Bonnie, or Monique at school, or even Tara or Crystal, even though she was as cute (and as stacked!) as Bonnie; well, that covered the background part, and you know about Alex and Jen already, so…. "I may have something that could help you both out."

"What?" Alex looked interested now, and she almost had a smile on her face.

"How 'bout a couple of laptops, fully loaded, gratis, courtesy of Team Possible and _**BlazeIT?**_" I asked, and they looked at me like I was crazy.

"I got them two months ago when we helped out that computer store, ComputersAmerica, when they had that break-in from Dementor. I helped Wade with a little hardware problem that he had, and he gave me the machines after CA gave Team Possible a mess-load of hardware as payment for helping them and recovering the 200 servers that Dementor had managed to heist from the trucks: the idiot thought the trunk was filled with jewels, but they'd swapped trailers with a jewelry firm, and he heisted the wrong truck," by this time, they were both laughing their cares away.

"Come over tonight, and you can pick them up. I'll load the software this afternoon; I'm finished with classes today, so I have some spare time," and they both hugged me.

"Why are you doing this?" Alex asked when she pulled back, tears on her face.

"Because I can, Alex, and because you deserve a break for a change," I replied, and she hugged me so tight I thought her breasts were gonna come thru her blouse.

"Alex…Alex…" I tried to get her attention, "Alex, if you keep this up, Jen's gonna be real pissed at me," I tried a joke, and she laughed into my shoulder and then pulled her head back.

"You're all right, Sarah," she finally got out.

"Come over tonight after 7:30, and I'll show you what I have," I smiled, and Jen looked at me with a fiendish smile.

"Promises, promises, Sarah; I've always wanted a view," Jen smiled seductively and laughed as I blushed a deep red.

"Software, Jen, software!" I retorted, and Jen kept smiling.

"That's what I want the view of, Sarah: the 'software,'" and I left as she and Alex roared with laughter.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

I showed up at home, and I was glad I'd called Daddy and Momma2 about the ring…

Momma 2 was full of surprises, both before the wedding and after:

First, she agreed to have Gemini and Pepe both attend up at the wedding after a 'lively' conversation with her mother. I think the two ladies melted several phone lines between Middleton and the retirement center in West Texas where her mother had lived the last 15 years.

Second, she shocked Daddy when she told him where she wanted to get married: the Bench.

I heard them argue about it one night when she'd come up to visit: they were in the kitchen, else'n I'd never have heard their discussion.

"Betty, why not the chapel in town? Or, better yet, your church in Middleton, or even the National in Washington or even the White House? I'm sure the President would loan you the Rose Garden for an afternoon," Daddy had already lost, and he knew it: I knew it when he went over the top with suggestions.

"Slim, darling, the Bench is special to me: it's where you promised me the moon, and I want to become your partner there: on the land where Sheri Nicole stood, where Jocelyn has stood, and where Kimberly and Ron-" she grinned.

"Awww, darlin,' you didn' have to bring that picture to my mind! I'll be standing there with you and have a flashback that would push James over the edge," Daddy had a grin in his voice, so I knew he was hooked.

"What better reason, Slim?" she laughed. "Besides, we might as well have a dry run there since you know that's where Wade and Jocelyn are gonna do it: the marriage thing, darlin', not the other thing! If I know Wade, he's already got the Savoy reserved for four weeks for his honeymoon," she laughed, and I made a mental note to ask Wade about his hotel bookings.

"All right, Betty, we'll do the Bench," Daddy sounded resigned and happy at the same time.

"Are you ok with the honeymoon plans?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Are you kidding?" she snarked. "After what Kim told me about Midas and you booking three sessions for me with him, I'm ready now," she moved to him, and all I heard after that was kissing and giggling and "not here, Slim!"

"Slim, I have one more thing for you," and I heard Daddy gasp.

"When did that happen?" He asked.

I got a call on the PossCom, so I never found out what or when, until later….

--

"Jocelyn, do you have a moment?"

"Why, shore, MTB: what's up?" I walked into the now-totally-dark room she was using as a temporary getaway/office here at the Lazy C Ranch.

"Close the door," she requested, and I did.

The lights clicked on, and I almost lost it:

MTB: no, this was most definitely Elizabeth Director, was standing there in a wedding dress.

"What do you think, Joss?" She smiled, and her smile lit up the entire room. "I can't decide between this one and two others, and it vexes me so," and she tittered.

"MTB, you've got to go on a low-Drakken diet: he's creeping into your speech, now," I smiled, and she giggled as she nodded her agreement.

"Well?" she asked.

"Where are the other two?"

"They're right here," and she reached over and moved the rack around so I could see the other two dresses.

"That one," I pointed at the rack.

"That is you, Elizabeth Director, if clothes can personify a person.

"Between Daddy and Wade, we won't have to water the grounds for a week when they see you in that dress," and Betty laughed and began to remove the one she wore.

She removed the dress and the slip, hanging them carefully, and I saw my MTB for the first time.

"Momma2, are those…?" I couldn't bring myself to ask.

"What?" and she looked at my face and re-traced my line of sight to her arms, legs, and torso.

"Oh, those old things: Andrea Jocelyn, these happened long before I joined Global Justice; well, most of them," she smiled sadly. "Old war scars that are almost healed now, but the memories will never go away.

She reached up and cupped. "No scars here, though: all natural," and we both laughed.

"This is what you need to consider, young lady, if you and Wade go on your quest: you may never again have that perfect skin you have now, Jocelyn, but you will always have someone who is convinced that you are perfect, and that's all that matters," she was pulling on the other dress as she spoke, and she transformed from my MTB to a vision of loveliness in less than 10 minutes.

"You really like this one, Jocelyn?" she smoothed the dress down and walked over to the mirror and grew a huge smile.

"Oh, yeah, this is most definitely it," she said out loud to herself. "Slim is gonna pass out."

"Isn't that the idea, Betty?" I chuckled, and she turned and smiled.

"You most definitely are your mother's daughter, Jocelyn, and I am so proud that you want me to be your Momma2," she held out her arms, and I was folded into them as we both cried tears of joy.

"I can't do this: I'll mess up your dress," I said, pulling away.

"The sleeves aren't too much?" she asked, and I shook my head 'no.'

"They're perfect: that 'unattainable you' is here.

"Will Du will be watering the grass for a month after he sees this," she laughed.

"Who all's coming, MTB?"

"It's not a big ceremony: Slim's side includes your Uncle James and his family, Nana Possible" (and she smiled), "some of Kim's friends from school, and Ronald and his family, of course.

"Of course," I laughed. "Is Daddy killing one buffalo for Ron and Rufus to eat and another for the rest of us?"

She laughed hard at that question, then made a note in the air:

"Note to self: bring another buffalo for Ron and Rufus," she wrote as I laughed.

"Now, don't forget Wade and Ryan and Rachel," I added.

"And Donna and her family, but they'll be on my side; I'll have Momma, Sheldon, Pepe, Will, Lindsey-"

"WHAT? SHELDON'S COMING, BETTY?"

"Shush, not so loud: your dad's already had his fit, but Mother insisted that I invite him. Besides, I already talked to Wade: he's preparing a special surprise for him if he tries anything.

"Now, where was I: Oh yes, Will, Lindsey, Rebecca Jane, Arnold," I jumped in with a zinger.

"You can't have a wedding without the 'Hot Dogs,' MTB," I smirked, and she nodded.

"Yes, I know, but I've made them promise to behave; besides," she grinned, "I have something very special in mind for them."

"Claudia Rose wants to come, by the way," and I feigned horror.

"Not another Redhead!" I cried, and we burst out laughing.

"You wanna see the veil?" she asked, and we kept going for another two hours, having our first real mother/daughter talk.

I learned a lot about Betty that evening, and she learned a lot about me, as well.

--

June 24, 2006.

The wedding of my father to the head of Global Justice.

On our ranch, at my favorite spot: where Dr. Load first told me he loved me.

I barely slept that Friday night before the wedding, and I was extremely happy that MTB had not had her bachelor-ette party that night but the week before.

Daddy had Uncle James, Wade, and Ron as his best men. He's asked Uncle James to be his best man, and he accepted after he and Wade argued over who should stand up there: each of them wanted the other one to have the honor.

Daddy had a full black tuxedo with tails on, but he'd managed somehow to find one with a Western flair.

The men…Aunt Anne and Kim and I agreed that we were as lucky as Betty in our haves or would-haves.

Aunt Anne did insist, and Betty agreed, that I be the maid of honor; that meant that I was paired with Uncle James, a pairing that made me smile a bunch.

I loved Uncle James: witty, dry, intelligent, and a hunk all rolled into a rocket scientist. I wasn't crushing on him, but, in a tuxedo, I could certainly see why Aunt Anne was still married: Yummy-O!

--

(Rebecca Jane Casey-Carlos)

The best man and the groomsmen all looked sharp as Anne, Kim, and Jocelyn all walked down the path from the tent to the bench area that Ron had transformed into an altar and a perfectly-framed wedding arch.

The string and woodwind ensemble finished playing their entrance music, and they started playing something entirely different:

The tune wasn't familiar to everyone, but I could see a couple of smiles form on faces. I could see that Ryan and Rachel were trying not to burst out laughing, and Monique (of all people) and Felix both grew huge smiles on their faces, and they began to mouth the words of the introduction as soon as the tune began:

_**When I take you out tonight with me**_  
_**Honey here's the way it's gonna be**_  
_**You will sit behind a team of snow white horses**_  
_**In the sleekest gig you'll ever see**_

I was glad I had an aisle seat: this was going to be a memorable event, and I wasn't disappointed:

The strings hit a huge chord and glissando, and the woodwinds started a sound strangely like a house clip-clopping down a cobblestone path, and, as the melody began, a horse whinny startled guests, and they all turned, totally surprised, to look down the aisle as the music from 'Oklahoma' echoed across the canyon and I sang the words to myself with a huge grin on my face:

**Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry**  
_**When I take you out in the surrey**_  
_**When I take you out in the surrey**_  
_**With the fringe on top**_

A surrey was indeed coming down the path, and it did have fringe all around the top.

_**Watch that fringe and see how it flutters**_  
_**When I drive them high steppin' strutters**_  
_**Nosey pokes'll peek thru their shutters**_  
_**And their eyes will pop**_

The fringe was fluttering in the wind as the surrey, complete with shutters and pulled by two high-steeping pure white horses, made its way down the path.

_**The wheels are yellow, the upholstery's brown**_  
_**The dashboard's genuine leather**_  
_**With isinglass curtains y' can roll right down**_  
_**In case there's a change in the weather**_

The lyrics echoed the surrey itself: the wheels, from what I could see, were indeed a bright sunflower yellow, and I assumed that everything else was per spec, as well…

_**Two bright sidelights winkin' and blinkin'**_  
_**Ain't no finer rig I'm a thinkin'**_  
_**You can keep your rig if you're thinkin'**_  
_**'At I'd care to swap**_  
_**For that shiny little surrey**_  
_**With the fringe on the top**_

The surrey came to a stop at the rear of the guest seating area in time with the end of the verse, turning expertly so that the door that Betty would use to exit was positioned at the start of her path to Slim.

The two people that were on the surrey jumped down (one driving, and one on the back), and I couldn't help but laugh to myself:

It was the 'Hot Dogs,' dressed in full Western-wear regalia!

The rear 'Dog' pulled down a set of steps and placed them at the surrey door, and the front 'Dog' opened the door and offered a hand as the ensemble began to play the traditional Wedding March as Betty stepped out.

I glanced back at Daddy:

'The dress worked,' I grinned as Betty took the hand and stepped down onto the ground, the rose-petal-lined path that led to Slim.

The gown, the most brilliant white I'd seen in a long time, was fitted and showed Betty's figure off wonderfully: her silhouette would be burned into Slim's mind for a very, very long time. It was a beaded-lace mermaid gown, fitted at the top and flaring below the knee to a trumpet bell-like bottom at her feet. She had a bolero jacket, cropped, and worn open on the top, and the lace on the jacket and the sleeves complemented her arms and matched her dress perfectly.

Her blusher veil was thicker than most I'd seen at weddings, and it covered her entire face; but, something looked different. I wasn't sure what it was, but my weird-ar was going off; maybe it was Sheldon and Pepe in front of me, sitting with Betty's mother.

The front 'Dog' now offered his arm, and Betty took it and nodded to something he said as she took two steps and then stopped. He released her arm, and my Arnold walked up, full Global Justice dress uniform with saber, saluted, and offered his arm to Betty. She took the arm, and he escorted her down the aisle as the Wedding March accompanied her.

Betty passed me, then Sheldon and Pepe, who only whimpered for a moment (Pepe, that is) as she walked by.

Arnold and Betty reached the end of their journey, Arnold releasing her arm and taking her hand, then offering it to Slim. He took it, and Arnold stepped back and snapped a fully-regulation salute to Slim. Slim nodded, and Arnold executed a perfect about-face and came back down the aisle, stopping next to me. I moved over, and Arnold took the aisle seat, reaching over and taking my hand that held my engagement ring.

"You think that dress got Slim's attention" I whispered, and Arnold snorted.

"Got it? His jaw dropped to the ground, he's thinking about what he can do to speed up the ceremony, and he's already looking around for a hovercraft to skip the reception and head straight back to the ranch," and I barely choked back my laugh.

I looked up after I caught my breath, and the minister was smiling: she knew what I was thinking, because she'd been watching Slim's expression as Betty stepped from the surrey.

--

(S. C. 'Slim' Possible)

Shannon wore the same stole that she wore on Christmas Eve, but a different cassock: this one was long and white. She was smiling a huge smile as the ensemble ended, and for a few moments the only sounds were the echoes of the music from the canyon and birds in the trees. She looked at Elizabeth and me and began to speak:

"Good afternoon. My name is Shannon Callahan, and I had the distinct pleasure of being the pastor this past Christmas Eve, the night that Slim proposed," Betty smiled at me, and I looked out of the corner of my eye at Ron: he was smiling at Kim, as well, "and Betty accepted, and I was the first person on the face of the Earth that they told, and that was purely by accident," she chuckled.

"They came around the corner and knocked me on the ground after the Christmas Eve Midnight Service, and they told me they were going to get married while I lay flat-out on my butt," and the guests laughed.

"I've been promised that this encounter will end with significantly less pain for me," and the guests laughed, again.

I glanced at Elizabeth: she was smiling through her veil, and I kept mentally kicking myself for not having done this, years ago.

"So, let's get this done before Slim has a heart attack over the dress, shall we?" the guests all laughed with her, I blushed, Elizabeth giggled under the veil, and Shannon began the ceremony:

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the sight of God and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate."

I glanced at Elizabeth again and our eyes met. The smallest of smiles curved her lips, a Betty smile, as she returned my glance with a tender and knowing look.

"Samuel Clemens Possible: Wilt thou take this woman, Elizabeth Director, to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, comfort, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

The permanence and the solemnity of her words rang through my mind and heart. I thought of all those years of pain and loneliness that I'd endured, fearing that Sweet Tea would grow up without a mother…and I knew that it was all behind me, now.

"I will."

"Elizabeth Director: Wilt thou take this man, Samuel Possible, to be your lawful wedded husband, to love, comfort, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?"

Elizabeth's voice was clear and certain. "I will," and I was certain that I heard angels singing.

"The bride and groom have chosen to use the traditional vows to each other," and Shannon nodded to me.

I turned and faced Elizabeth and spoke, a big, silly grin on my face:

"I, Samuel Clemens Possible, take thee, Elizabeth Director, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

She replied, smiling through her veil:

"I, Elizabeth Director, take thee, Samuel Clemens Possible, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"May I have the rings, please?" Shannon asked, and James and Sweet Tea handed the rings to her.

Shannon held up Elizabeth's ring and spoke:

"May this ring be blessed so he who gives it, and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

She then handed it to me.

Elizabeth extended her lovely hand, and I spoke as I placed the ring on her finger:

"Betty, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment.

Shannon then held up my ring and spoke:

"May this ring be blessed so that she who gives it, and he who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love until life's end."

Elizabeth took my hand and slid the ring onto my finger, smiling as she looked up and spoke:

"Slim, with this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

Shannon then smiled and spoke once again:

"May this couple, now, prepare to continue to give, grow, forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Samuel Possible and Elizabeth Director are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their daughter," and she smiled at a beaming Sweet Tea, "family, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love.

"In as much as Samuel and Elizabeth have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, by the grace of God and by the authority of the state of Montana, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife."

Shannon, beaming, looked at us and spoke the words I'd waited, it seemed, a lifetime, to hear:

"You may now seal the promises you have made to each other with a kiss."

I lifted Elizabeth's veil, she smiled and winked, and I came in for our first married kiss.

I wanted this to last forever, but I also wanted: no, needed, to explore her dress and remove it as soon as possible.

Shannon cleared he throat, and the guests chuckled. We finally separated, staring at teach other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, for the first time, Doctor Samuel Clemens Possible and his lovely wife, Doctor Elizabeth Director-Possible," and we turned to face the guests, knowing what to expect:

Surprise, a gasp or two, and applause.

And, from behind her, a loud whisper from Sweet Tea:

"Oh, no, you didn't, Momma2!"

You see, as did the guests for the first time, Elizabeth had neglected to tell them that she had one surprise for them all:

Both of her eyes gleamed, and the smile on her face was worth all that I had ever owned and would ever own.

We had now announced to the world that we were inseparable: God himself would have to protect anyone that tried to come between us, because the Devil himself wasn't foolish enough to attempt it.

The ensemble started the recessional, and I held out my arm for my wife (my wife!), and together we walked down the aisle.

We passed Sheldon, and I would have sworn that I saw tears on his face.

Pepe didn't make a peep when Betty walked by: I think he was in shock over the eye.

We reached the surrey and turned to face our guests, and I knew we had done the right thing:

A brilliant rainbow had formed over the canyon, framing the arch underneath which we had just stood.

I looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Sheri Nicole," and I will swear to this day that I heard her laugh.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

"When, Momma2, and why?" I had my juice for the toast, and I'd managed to corner her away from her mother and Sheldon, who was surprisingly polite.

"The 'when' was after your Dad asked me to marry him, Joss: I decided that I would talk to my doctor about an artificial eye, and he told me about a new eye transplant process that was working for some patients. I qualified, and there were donors, so I had the operation in February after Valentine's Day. I wanted to give my full attention," she grinned, "to your Dad, and this was the best way I could do it."

"Cool.

"How does it feel?"

"It's strange, seeing in stereovision after all this time with only one, but I'm getting used to it. I'm going to have to re-certify for flying if I want to do it without the patch, but that's 'no big.'"

"Dr. Director!" Momma2 got sandwiched between Kim and Ron, applying a huge hug.

"I guess it's now 'Aunt Betty," Kim smiled,

"And Mrs. Dr. D-P," Ron added with a grin.

"Right, Ron," Wade came up behind me and put his arms around me.

"Hey, MTB: gorgeous eyes," Wade's smile came through his voice, and Momma2 pulled him in front of me and hugged him.

"Thank you, Wade," she let go and stared him in the eyes, tears coming from both eyes (both eyes!). "You told me that I deserved happiness, and now I am happier than I imagined I could ever be," she smiled.

"Happy enough to not be mad at me when you get your wedding presents, I hope," Wade smiled, then pulled away and got behind me.

"Let's go, Sweet Tea, before your BFBF becomes 'dark meat,'" and Wade took off for the Bunker elevator, leaving behind a sputtering Momma2.

"Just What did he mean by that, Andrea Jocelyn?" and the Momma2 voice comes out for the first time.

"You'll be all right, Momma2: we got you something special for your wedding, and I know both you and Daddy will like them," and I held up my glass.

"A toast, please," I announced, and the guests murmur quieted for a moment.

"To my new Mother, Momma2, who I know has the Momma seal of approval and the love of my Daddy, and she has my heart, as well.

"To Elizabeth Director-Possible."

"Elizabeth Director-Possible," the guests repeated, and glasses everywhere clicked.

--

"Jocelyn? Would you come down here for a moment, please?"

"I'm finishing up homework, Momma2: I'll be down in a sec, k?"

"Certainly."

I finished up the last of the American History work, closed the book, and headed down the steps from my loft and headed into Momma2's study (I love that she can come up here and spends more time than I expected).

I walked in, and she and Daddy were holding hands.

"Jeez, y'all already have a room, do I have to be subjected to it all the time?" I kissed Momma2, and then kissed Daddy.

"What's up?" and Betty smiled.

Oh, no….

Before she even said anything, I asked:

"So, how long, when are you due, and how many, Momma2?"

"Told you she was sharp as a whip, Betty," Daddy leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Six weeks, in late May or early June, and twins, Sweet Tea," she giggled.

"Betty!" I hacked at her: now, I'm getting Sweet Tea from everywhere.

"Boys, girls, or both?"

"We won't know for a few weeks, Joss."

"I'm waaay past happy about this: you know that, don't you?" I asked them both, and they both exhaled.

"I thought you would be, Sweet Tea, but I wasn't sure, you having to share me even more."

"No big, Daddy: this is what I've been hoping ever since you two went to Greece on the honeymoon."

"Midas," Betty moaned, then blushed.

"You realize that you said that the same way you talked about Ron's Pecan Trout, don't you?" I asked innocently, then guffawed as Momma2 blushed even more and Daddy laughed.

"I'm going to Middleton in two weeks, at the first of November; I'll tell Wade then: I want to see the look on his face first-hand," I grinned.

"Let me know: I'll come over, I'll tell Wade myself, and we can tell Ryan and Rachel at the same time.

"You're right, though: I want to see the look on Wade's face, first-hand."

--

(Miss Sarah Janine Best)

It was the last week of October, and the break-ins were getting worse, and the number was increasing, as well.

There was a totally strange pattern that had come up, but it didn't make sense: the break-ins were only happening when the _**Motherboards**_ were in town.

I checked the police records for Go City, and things were feeling even stranger now:

There were no break-ins there that followed these patterns when the _**Motherboards**_** weren't** in town.

Something was past strange, and I needed to talk to Chip.

I called his cell, and Dale answered.

"Chip's phone, this is Dale."

"Dale! Hey, it's Sarah."

"D'OI, Sarah: caller-id."

"Hey, is Chip there? I need to ask him some questions."

"Sure, Sarah. Come on over to the garage: Chip's out, but he'll be back by the time you get here."

"K, Dale. Later."

"Later, Sarah."

Click.

I've got to talk to Chip.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

"You're WHAT?"

"Wade, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Sweet Tea, I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Please don't tell me you thought I was too old to get pregnant, Wade."

"Well, Betty,…."

"WADE!" came from Rachel, Betty, and me at the same time.

"Hey, I've always had a thing for older women, you know that," Wade held up his hands as bowls of popcorn came at his face; he was lucky that we didn't throw the bowls themselves.

--

Betty went home, and Rachel and Ryan went out for dinner.

"Wade, are you tired? I sure am," I yawned and stretched.

He wasn't tired after my stretch, but he yawned anyway.

"I am, Joss, and I don't know why: the students weren't any more of a pain than normal," and Wade suddenly slumped over on the desk.

"WADE!" I reached for him and touched him before I passed out….

--

(Dr. Kimberly Anne Possible-Stoppable)

Something was strange in town: I tried to reach Monique at the mall, but the number at Club Banana rang off the wall. I knew they were open until 11 tonight, so something must be wacky.

I punched my wrist Kimmunicator and called Wade.

"Hey, Kim: this is holoWade," the old pre-Joss hologram of Wade popped up.

"Where's Wade?" I yawned. Strange, I wasn't tired.

"He's not…uh, oh, Kim, you'd better see this," and he switched to a camera of Wade's room.

The last thing I remember was seeing Joss passed out, her arm outstretched as she tried to reach out and touch an unconscious, and the holoWade's voice:

"Kim."

--

(Recordings from the Wade-Avatar, time stamp 2008 October 31 22.35 MDT).

"Kim."

Silence, and I could see that Kim was passed out on top of the Kimmunicator.

"Kim?"

Silence

"KIM!"

Silence

"Per protocols Wade-incap-007-S, I am activating the WadeBot 2.5 unit and assuming control of it.

"WadeBot, this is Wade Avatar. Wade is incapacitated. I need you to see if he's still alive," and the WadeBot came out of the charging unit.

"Will du." The WadeBot grinned.

"Please, not that old joke!"

"Sorry," and the WadeBot rolled over and checked.

"Wade is alive, but asleep. Taking a blood sample under emergency authorization Wade-incap-007-S-B-1a," and a needle came out of the arm and took a blood sample.

"Analyzing…analyzing…analyzing...analyzing,"

"Just tell me when you're done!"

"Touchy, aren't we?"

"It's Wade and Jocelyn!"

"Taking an air sample to confirm," and a nose appeared on the screen and sniffed.

"Analyzing…analyzing…analyzing...analyzing,"

"Just tell me!"

"Messing with you, A. Wade's taken a heavy dose of a new sleeping agent; I have no records of this one."

"HOW?"

"It seems to have come in through the air."

I'm going to kill the WadeBot.

"Seriously: it's water soluble, and it appears to have come in through the house water lines. It appears that a high dose of O2 should counteract the effects. Administering now," and an oxygen tube extended from the WadeBot and snaked to land into Wade's nostril.

"This has got to work: Kim's out, too," I said and flashed the Kimmunicator screen up on the main monitor.

"What's happening?" the WadeBot asked, and Wade gasped and pulled at the tubes.

"No, Wade, you need this: you've been gassed, and you need this to flush it from your system."

"Joss," Wade's voice was weak as he pointed, and the WadeBot snaked another tube over to Joss' nose.

"Got her, Wade," the WadeBot replied.

"Thanks, WadeBot. Wait: how?"

"I activated him, Wade: Avatar here. When Kim called and you didn't answer, I took the call. When I scanned for you and found you passed out just as Kim passed out, I activated WadeBot per protocol."

"I'm glad I did that," Wade mumbled.

"As am I, Wade," I replied, and all three of us turned as we heard Jocelyn gasp.

"No, Joss, leave it in: you've been gassed, and the O2 will clear your system," I said calmly, and she looked up at the monitor.

"Wade?"

"Wade Avatar: the old Wade, Joss, and am I glad to see you here. I had hoped that I/we would be able to capture your heart, and judging by your heart rate when you looked at Wade, we succeeded," I laughed, and Joss blushed.

"Wade, might I suggest the suits: you have the gas filters installed, and the suits themselves are impervious to gas penetration from the outside," and Wade nodded.

"What about me?" Joss asked.

"Well," Wade looked down and…

"I created a fully-equipped suit for you, Jocelyn, and I designed it with material that would fit any shape as you grew older," I lied to cover Wade.

"You did?"

"Yes, Jocelyn, I did."

"Liar: Wade did it, and it's all right, my Aggie," and she leaned over and kissed him.

It sucks being an Avatar: you never get the girl.

"WadeBot, the suits, please," I asked, and he'd already retrieved them from the locked SWAS cabinet.

"I'll go change; wait, what about the O2 tube?"

"Your system should be flushed by now, and you should be protected for long enough to get into the suit.

"There is an alternative, however," and Wade shook his head NO!

"And, that is…?"

"I can overpressure the room with oxygen, and you can change in here. I'll even turn off the recorders and my sensors until I hear 'Now, Wade,' from you twice, Joss"

"All right, Avatar. Overpressure the room, and go silent until I call," she requested, and I shut down my sensors.

I really wanted to keep one going, but I was trying to be good.

621.347 seconds later (an eternity for me!) I heard the magic words.

"Now, Wade; Now, Wade," and I reactivated the sensors to a goddess in a supersuit.

My jaw dropped.

"You like, guy?" she was teasing me!

"Yes, ma'am, I do indeed like!"

"Good. Wade, are you changed yet?"

"Yes, Sweet Tea," and Wade came into view, fully suited.

"Damn, y'all look good together!" I said, and WadeBot nodded in agreement.

"Wade, can I have one of those?' I pointed at Joss, and he laughed as Joss blushed.

"Mask down," and the Plexi-Kevlar masks dropped onto their faces.

A tickle, and I checked Wade's mail.

"Wade, you have an email from Sarah Best. Shall I read it to you?"

"Priority?"

"Based on what just happened, about a 9.8."

"Go."

"'Wade: something doesn't make sense. I'm going to see Chip at his parent's garage: I think the _**Motherboards**_ are somehow involved in the burglaries. S.'"

"When was this sent?"

"Time stamp 19.45 PM MDT."

"Well, Sweet Tea, we know where you're going first."

"Me?"

"I'm heading to Kim's to revive her, and you need to check out Sarah's lead," and Joss looked at him with a strange look.

"'I don't think so, Tim.' You're going to Sarah, my Aggie: if you have to do mouth-to-mouth, it had better be on her rather than Kim," and even the WadeBot laughed at Wade.

"Avatar, do you have any information on the spread of this gas?"

"In the water system for the city? D'OI!"

"WadeBot: contact the Middleton West fire station: if no response, go there and revive the firemen and tell them what happened. Have them contact me on my PosComm via cell if they have any questions."

"Gone," and the WadeBot opened the door and headed out, the reverse pressure breaking when the door opened.

"Going, Aggie," and Joss blew him a kiss, and blew me one, as well.

I caught it, and held it to my heart as she laughed and waved goodbye.

"Stay alert, Wade: there's n telling what else is happening. Check the police monitors and the alarm company signals, as well," he headed out the door.

"You called me Wade!" I was shocked, and he heard it in my voice and stopped, raising his mask.

"Well, aren't you?" he grinned. "We **do** have the same excellent taste in ladies."

"Thank you, Wade: you've never called me 'Wade' before."

"'No big,' Wade. Stay sharp, and stay in touch: update me when you get news," he lowered his mask.

"Yes, sir," I saluted, and he retuned it. We dropped salutes at the same time, and he was gone.

--

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

I got to Kim's house, and the front door was open.

Not forced: good.

The Tweebs were asleep in front of the television.

I checked the studies: Uncle James was in his, slumped over on his desk, but Aunt Anne wasn't in hers.

I went upstairs, and she was in her room…

She was changing out of her clothes from this morning's surgeries, and she had fallen to the floor.

I walked over and touched her: still breathing.

She was face-down, and that was a good thing:

She was topless.

I was glad I hadn't let Wade come over here, and I grinned as I turned and left, heading up to Kim's room.

Her door was cracked open, and I pushed it the rest of the way.

She was flat on her back on the bed, breathing. I could tell: her chest was going up and down…

Again, a scene not good for Wade.

I went to her closet and pushed the clothes aside, palming the lock.

"Override code: Kim Possible, big sister Wade never had," and the door slid open, revealing her newest upgraded suit.

I took it to her and touched the controls, and an oxygen tube snaked out and headed for her face, stopping when it inserted the two tiny tubes just barely into her nose.

I checked the air content: clean, so I raised my mask.

I watched her breathing change gradually...

Kim gasped and reached for my neck, grabbing it.

"KIM! It's Joss," I gasped, and she opened her eyes and smiled, releasing my neck. Lucky for me I had the suit on..

"Joss: where's Wade?"

"Heading to Chip's house: Sarah had a lead about the break-ins.

"I got your suit, and it inserted the oxygen tubes," I smiled.

"How'd you get the suit?" she was still taking deep breaths, flushing the bad air out.

"Override code, Kim."

"Which is…?

"'Kim Possible, big sister Wade never had,'" I told her, and she smiled.

"He really does care about me, doesn't he, Joss?," she smiled, and that made me smile.

"Well, D'OI, Cuz! You ever doubted?" I laughed, and Kim joined me.

"OK, Joss:

"What's the sitch?" and she sat up slowly, holding the tubes in her nose.

"Sleeping gas, in the water system. Don't know who or why.

"Wade got an email from Sarah, and he sent the WadeBot to the Middleton West Fire Station: if more people are asleep, as Wade-A believes, we may have some fires from open, untended flames."

"Good thinking on his part."

"Oh, by the way: you need to take care of your Mom."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Kim: she's out on the floor, and she's face down, and she was changing, and-" she cut me off.

"Now you know why I didn't want Wade to come over here; that, and he'd be too tempted to give you mouth-to-mouth, Cousin," I grinned, and Kim laughed.

"Get changed, Kim: we're gonna be busy tonight," and she gave me that feisty look.

"Yes, ma'am," she saluted me, and I returned the salute, then hugged her.

"Glad you're all right, Joss," she said as she removed her blouse and pants and began to suit up.

--

(Dr. Wade Agamemnon Load)

Wade-A shot me a text with Chip's address, so I ran the three blocks from my house to Chip's.

Cars parked in front of the garage: Sarah's Mom's car and two others I didn't recognize. I ran the plates: Alex Safic and Chip Design.

No noise coming from the garage, and the FIRE unit showed no motion but four bodies, all alive, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I pushed the door open and stepped in, mask down.

Nothing; no sounds, so I turned on the lights:

Three women, all tied to chairs in bras and panties, and Chip, tied up in his boxers.

'And Joss didn't want me to go to Kim's,' I grinned and walked towards-

"SARAH!" I yelled when I realized who one of them was, and I saw the laundry room sink and made a quick guess, pulling out an oxygen line and hooking Sarah up while I checked the air quality:

Good, no gas remaining active, and I dropped my mask just in time to hear Sarah gasp and take in a deep breath.

"Easy now, Sarah-bear," I grinned, "I've got you," and I took her hand and patted it.

She opened those beautiful blue-greens and smiled.

"I knew you would come, Little Brother," and it was all I could do not to cry: she hadn't called me that in a very long time, since at least 3 years before I went to Montana and found love.

"Well?" I asked, and she looked at me with a quizzical brow furrow.

"What's a nice girl like you doing tied up in a garage like this?"

"Oh, OH! You've got to get me untied, Wade: it's Dale, and he's gassed the entire town through the water-"

"-water system: I know," as I cut the ropes that held her, then helped her up and held her as she walked, wobbly, to the pile of clothes I saw.

"He's in debt to drug dealers, Wade," and I burned inside.

Incoming call:

"Wade-A to Wade."

"Go Wade-A."

"WadeBot has reached the Middleton West fire station and begun revival of the squad there; that's the good news.

"The bad news is that there are over 75 burglar and over 40 heat alarms going off all over the city: no indication of how many of these are major fires, but several commercial structures are on the list, including the Middleton Mall: there are 10 heat alarms, alone, there."

"Thanks, Wade-A. I'll contact Joss; contact GJ and send them out with oxygen packs, send WadeBot thru the tubes to GJ if you can't get them.

"Will do," he replied and cut the connection.

I heard a scream, and I turned.

"Sarah, are you all right?" she was crying and holding up her sweater.

"He ripped my sweater: my Nana's sweater. It's the last thing she knitted for me before she died.

"He's dead, Wade," and I looked at a pair of eyes that held nothing but anger.

"Sarah, we'll take care of him. Would you help me take care of your friends over there," I nodded towards Alex and Jennifer, "because, unless you have oxygen on you somewhere, I've got to revive them before I leave, and I don't want them to think I did anything to them."

Sarah grinned, then ran over to Chip and removed his gag and kissed him, passionately, then let go and stood, walking behind to untie him.

I went to Alex and loosened her gag, then did the same for Jennifer. I snaked two oxygen lines out and started reviving them. Sarah came over with their clothes and placed them on the ground in front of each of them.

Twin gasps, and two ladies took deep breaths and snapped their eyes open to see Sarah, dressed, and an apparition in what looked like Kim's supersuit from the Diablos photos.

I went behind them and cut their arms free, and Alex pulled her arms forward, flexing her kinks out. Jennifer followed her lead, rolling her shoulders, as well.

Alex finally got a good look at me.

"Who the heck is this?" I dropped my mask.

"Wade Load, **Blaze**_**IT!**_and **Team Possible**. I'm Sarah's next-door neighbor, by the way."

"How'd you find us?"

"Sarah left me a bread trail," I smiled.

"If you were a girl, I'd kiss you – oh, what the heck," and she stood, grabbed my head, and kissed me on the lips.

Jennifer laughed when Alex let go: she obviously could see my face.

"Somebody liked that kiss," and she pointed at Alex's –

"I'd better go help Sarah get Chip awake," I almost ran away as Alex sputtered and Jennifer laughed, then there was quiet: I turned my head, and saw them in an embrace that reminded me of Kim and Ron.

'Oh, yeah, they'll last,' and I snaked a line to Chip as Sarah held his hand.

He came to just as I got a call.

"Hey, Aggie, this is Sweet Tea; you out there?"

"I am indeed. You get Kim dressed?"

"WADE!"

"Sorry, Kim."

"We're on our way to Ron's after we wake my parents and the Tweebs."

"Good. It's Dale: he's gassed the entire town, and there are heat and burglar alarms going off all over the city: he's out looking for cash, and he's a busy boy," I looked over at Sarah and Chip, holding each other and talking.

"Everybody's fine, here," I added.

"Meet up at your house before we head out, Wade?"

"No, I'll meet you at Ron's, and we ca head out from there."

"See you in a bit, Aggie."

"Later, Sweet Tea," I cut the connection.

"Thanks, Wade," Chip stood and shook my hand.

"No big, Chip: you just keep this lady happy, and we'll call it even," Sarah smiled at me.

"That's the plan, Wade," he put his arm around her.

"But, get some clothes on, Chipster," I grinned.

"I don't know, Wade, I kinda like this," and Sarah walked her fingers up his chest.

"Getting dressed, now!" and Chip ran to what was left of the clothes pile.

"Thanks, Wade," Sarah kissed my cheek.

"My pleasure, 'Big Sis," and I hugged her.

"Gotta jet to Ron's and see where we go after that," I turned and headed out, lowering my mask.

"Wade! Wait!" I turned and faced Sarah.

"He's got a gun and a knife, Wade," and now, the game was afoot.

--

"Wade-A."

"Wade-A here, Wade."

"Plot the times and locations on the heat alarms and the burglary alarms and give me a HUD of the results," I was on the way to Ron's.

"Got it, Wade," and I stopped as I stared at the HUD for a minute, then grinned as Wade-A placed the forecast overlay on the HUD..

"Sweet Tea, Aggie: we got him."

"Where, Aggie?"

"His next target is the Paris Hotel downtown: meet me there at the loading dock on the north side."

"Got you, Aggie."

"Wade, why?" Kim asked.

"You and Ron and GJ have a pile of problems to deal with; besides, Dale's armed, and we're suited, so we've got a better chance at him."

"All right, Wade, but if-"

"Kim, do you think I'm going to let the mother of my future children get hurt?" Now, I was indignant: she should know this by now.

"Wade out," and I cut her connection and headed for the Paris.

--

I met Joss at the loading dock; I'd just scanned the building, and Dale was in the office on the lower floor.

"Where to, big boy?" I turned, and Joss raised her mask.

I whistled approvingly.

"Joss, you **do** make that suit look gooood," and she grinned.

"I should: **you** took the measurements," she gave me a Joss-says-you're-in-deep-pooky smile.

"He's moving now, heading for the basement."

"Which way?"

"This way," I threw the path up on her HUD along with FIRE unit's information on Dale, and we headed down a rear set of stairs and into the lower levels.

BANG!

A shot, and my FIRE unit exploded in my hand, and the HUD froze on my display.

"One less toy for you," Dale called out.

I looked up and mentally screamed: the last image showed two heat sources down here, not one!

"Joss, down!" but she was ahead of me, crawling along and programming her PosComm to take the place of the FIREfeed.

A flicker, and Joss' feed took over: both figures were heading down the hall, in front of us. Joss stood, and we headed after them.

An explosion behind us, and a door that we just past blew open with a huge burst of flame.

They were headed towards the rear of the building, and they stopped in a room.

"WADE! LOOK OUT!" I looked up to see Joss facing me; she pushed me down, and fire jumped over our heads and ran down the hall. There was a loud CRASH behind us, and I looked up:

The ceiling had fallen in, and a wall of fire had formed behind us.

"This way!" I yelled as I got up, pulling Joss up with me. I drug her down a side hall, but still towards the last location of Dale and his partner. I glanced up, and they were both still in the room.

We turned down the hall, and ran towards the room.

Almost there-

"WADE!" Joss yelled and pushed me down again; another fire blast jumped over our heads, and a CRASH from behind us confirmed my worst fears:

The side walls behind us had fallen, and the fire had gotten behind us, again.

"Joss, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Snake muffins, Wade," she replied as she kicked the door in front of us open, and we ran into the room and slammed the door shut, pushing a dresser against the door.

Good news: the fire was outside the door.

Bad news: the room had no windows.

Worse news: there was no one here. There was a pair of heaters in the room.

"It's SleepyTime for both of you" was written on the back wall.

"Wade?" I looked at her, and she was terrified.

"It's fire, Wade," she whispered, and she threw herself into my arms and sobbed.

I knew what she meant:

Sheri Nicole, the fire outside of their cage, and Joss, forced to sleep for days laying next to her dead mother.

This was **not** going to happen again, not to my Jocelyn.

Not on my watch.

--

I pulled out my PosComm, and checked the surrounding area:

Fire to the right, left, and center, wall of concrete supporting the entire hotel behind.

Above: first floor, about 25 feet of pipes, wiring, ceiling tiles, flooring, and floor supports.

Answered my question, and I raised my hand and shot the unit up into the ceiling.

"WADE! What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of here, Joss," and I felt it grab and set into the floor above. I unhooked the line and hooked it to Joss' suit at the aux line hookup.

"You're going up, Sweet Tea, so get ready," I grinned as I retracted my mask to see her face.

"Me? What about you?" She had raised her mask, and her face was full of fear.

This was the right thing to do.

"I'll get out, but you have to go, Sweet Tea," I smiled.

"I'm not going without you, Wade," she said defiantly and crossed her arms.

"Perfect," and I hit the emergency retraction. She shot up before she had a chance to argue, and the debris from her forced passage through the ceiling started to fall back on me.

"WAAAAADDDDDDDDDE!" was all I heard as she hit the top of the barrier and broke through, the last of the floor fell down into the room.

I lowered my mask and checked the temperatures outside the room: it had risen to over 200 degrees F. I had tested the suits for that temperature, but I didn't know how long it would take me to get through the maze out there, and that was my biggest concern.

"Wade," came across the com unit.

"Yes, Jocelyn?"

"Wade, I love you, but sometimes you make me sooo mad, I could scream," she had started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Jocelyn, but I couldn't take the chance of losing another woman in my life, you know that: I almost lost Sarah this evening, and I wasn't going to let that happen to you."

"How do you think I feel about you?" she shouted into the microphone.

"Don't you DARE die on me, you get that, Aggie!"

"Sir," a new voice broke into the call.

"Sir, this is WadeBot. I'm at the bottom of the stairs, and I have you located. I'll be there in approximately 30.4 seconds."

"You can't survive that amount of heat for that length of time, WadeBot!"

"I can if I trigger the shut-off sprinkler system, Sir," and suddenly water came out of the ceiling from a broken pipe.

"Coming, sir, please step to the side of the door."

I moved to the side, away from the door, and the door exploded and fire shot into the room followed by a singed WadeBot.

"Shall we go, sir," and he extended a platform on the rear and a handle came from the top.

"Joss, I'm heading out on the WadeBot. Going to the stairs we came down, and we'll get out from there."

"I'll meet you at the top of the stairs, Wade," and she clicked the signal off.

'She really is scared,' I thought, 'and so am I,' I chuckled as I stepped on the platform and grabbed the handle.

"Let's go, WadeBot," and he shot out of the room and into the hall of fire.

--

I tinted my mask before we left, and I was glad I did: the fire was so bright from inside it, and the flames danced around me.

'He must have left accelerant down here: the water's not helping much.'

It took 75 seconds to get to the stairs, and the WadeBot didn't stop: it just ran into the wall and threw me off as it crashed.

"WadeBot," I stood: no breaks or sprains.

"Sir, I'm almost gone: my circuits are beginning to melt…melt…melt…it has been a privilege…privilege," and sparks shot out of the rear. I swung him around, and the screen was completely melted away.

"…it...it…it…melt…privilege to serve you, Wade…Wade…wade…goo…,' and the final spark cut the power.

I lowered the handle back into the unit and picked up the WadeBot.

"I've lost the signal to the WadeBot, Wade," the avatar announced with a catch in his voice.

"I've got him," I said. "I'm bringing him home."

The smoke was even thicker now, but I found the stairs and went up two at a time to the first floor, where I was greeted by Ron, Kim, Joss, and a group of Middleton's finest, and Dale and his two accomplices (that's how he did it: there were three of them) were in handcuffs.

Kim was in her blue-on-white supersuit, and Ron was in his white-on-blue (the reverse of Kim's) suit.

"Spankin' suit, Ron," Joss smiled, and Ron looked her over.

"Not so shabby yourself, Jocelyn, but yours is filthy: how'd that happen?" and he wasn't successful in dodging her friendly punch to the side. Her green-on-white suit was singed all over.

The Fire Department was foaming down the lobby of the hotel, and three of them headed down the stairs with foaming units.

"Is there anyone else down there, sir?" the Fire Chief asked, and I shook my head.

"Everyone's out, but not everyone made it," I placed the WadeBot down on the ground, raised my mask, and walked over to Dale.

"You're lucky you're here, Dale: Alex and Jennifer and Sarah want to have a word with you, and I think you're much safer here than with them," I pulled back my arm and balled my fist, "but I'm here, and I intend to collect."

"WADE!" Kim yelled, and I brought my fist to an inch from his face and twisted his nose hard between my middle- and fore-finger.

"And, that doesn't even count your band-mates, including Chip. I think you've probably been kicked out by now," I turned and looked at Kim.

"Any casualties?"

"None so far, Wade, but they haven't put out all the fires yet."

"For your sake," I turned back to Dale, "I hope there are none, because you'll not live to see 30 if there's even one, if I have anything to do with it."

"He needed money to pay for drugs, Joss, that's why he did all of this," and I heard her growl.

"You see, Dale, she's had her mother killed and two friends almost killed by people like your friends here," I pointed at his partners, "and you don't even qualify for a Frugal Lucre level of evil, so SleepyTime is just a 'sleepy name.'"

"Let's see how many more of your friends and associates there are still loose 'On the Town,'" and I called the Bunker as Joss groaned. Lindsey answered.

"_**BlazeIT!**_ Bunker Command Center, Lindsey Peterson here.

"Hey, Wade! You're a mess."

"Long night, Lindsey, long night.

"Need a quick background on a couple of folks," and I took their pictures and sent them to her.

"What are these bad boys tied into?" I asked, and she smiled after a few seconds..

"Ooh, these are some 'very bad boys,' Wade," Lindsey grinned. "Justin-1 tie-in, and wanted in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming on second-degree felony drug trafficking, and to minors, to boot," she added.

"Any partners with them?"

"There's a set of three more: I'll send their info in the packet to the Middleton station."

"Please, and thank you," I replied, and I heard Kim try, unsuccessfully, to stifle a giggle.

"Add Colorado to that list, Lindsey," I told her, "and let Mel know who and what we've got. She may have a present of her own for these boys," and I cut the collection.

"Captain, you'll have a copy of all the wants and warrants waiting for you when you take them back to the station," I smiled, the Captain grinned, and the two 'bad boys' looked worried.

"You may already have the other three, or you'll have the info to find them and get them at the station in about one minute."

"Thanks, Dr. Load," the Captain saluted me. I returned his salute, and he and his men took Dale and his partners away.

"Wade?"

I turned to face Jocelyn, tears streaked her smoky face.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Wade."

"I can't promise that, Jocelyn: I told you, back in Montana, I'd take a bullet for you, and I meant it.

"I will **never** lose another woman in my life, Jocelyn, no matter the cost to me," and I took her hands in mine and stared into those shining blue eyes.

"Wade," Kim broke in, "your parents are wondering where you've been: they came home, and you were gone along with the suits," and she looked me over.

"Spanking suits, too, Wade. How'd you fit Joss' suit: the same way you did mine?" she grinned.

"How did he do-" Ron connected the dots.

"BAD WADE!" he waved his finger at me, then laughed, grabbed me and hugged me.

"Thanks, Wade, but don't ever do that to my fiancée again or I'll go MMP on your rear, all right?" he whispered as he hugged me. "You get that, Load?"

"Five by five, Mr. Stoppable," I slapped him on the back, and we separated and shook hands.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, Wade," Joss took my hand.

"What: no kiss for all this work?" I gave her my PDP, and she laughed at me.

She took my head in her hands, and she kissed me.

Our tongues danced in each other's mouths, and I was definitely feeling the love.

A loud "AHEM!" came from Kim.

We both looked at her and smiled and said the same thing:

"BOOYAH!"

"I think your training time is over," Kim smiled, and I took Joss' hand again.

"You're ready for the bigs."

"You mean, there's more than getting shot at or almost roasted?" Joss asked, and the laughter rang over the sound of the sprinkler system and fire hoses spraying water to douse the final hot spots.

"I've got him, Wade," and Ron picked up the WadeBot.

"Everyone comes home, and no one's left behind, no matter who or what they are," he said, tears on his face for the WadeBot.

"South American memories, Ron?"

"Yes; that, and realizing that Bueno Nacho may be closed by the time we get cleaned up, so I may get stuck eating meat cakes again.

"RON!"

"I don't know, Kim, so don't **even** bother asking!"

--

Chapter now complete.

--

**Author's afterward:**

--

So many people to thank, so little space:

A very special set of thanks go out to the following:

A very special thank you to the CajunBear73 and the Egyptian Eagle-eye, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, for both beta-ing this chapter Thanks, guys, for everything.

Those unannounced readers who have read and not reviewed the past chapters and this one: thanks for stopping by. I hope I've given you some laughs, some tears, and some things to think about.

--

A few loose ends to wrap up:

Chapter 10, coming out within 24 hours.

--

For all the Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

--


	10. 10: Epilogue

Training Table Blues

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. All other characters can be blamed on the author (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions at all times, being barely responsible for himself most of the time….).

All references to any specific character or product by names mentioned in this story are not intended to parody or reflect negatively on the correspondingly existing products; any and all similarities are coincidental.

This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

You can read this without reading the background stories, but I would highly recommend (shameless plug) Black Hole Deep, version 2.0 and BE, S 1: Blue Eyes, Shining. You'll enjoy this story even more, and this story will make more sense if it's read in context.

To everyone who has read thus far and continues to read and review: thank you: your reads and reviews continue to fuel me.

**A/N Forward: **

A few loose ends to wrap up….

Epilogue

-----

Chapter 10: Epilogue

-----

(Information release authorized from the following source:

Archives and logs of Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

-----

(Dr. Andrea Jocelyn Possible-Load)

Ron, Kim, Wade, and I all finally headed to Wade's house and arrived about 3:30 AM; we had pancakes waiting for us.

Neither Ryan nor Rachel had been able to sleep after Kim told her what Wade and I were doing, and Ryan had gone to the kitchen to relax. I was sure glad he cooked: his pancakes were platinum, and he made more than enough for people who'd been out all night fighting fires, chasing down bad guys and taking them off the street, and trying not to die. We had some firemen that followed us home, checking on us and the neighborhood: they had the pleasure of Ryan's pancakes, and they left the house stuffed and happy

Momma2 was waiting there for me, as well, and she grabbed me and hugged me, smoke and all.

I lost it then, and I blubbered like a three-year-old.

Sarah, Alex, Jen and Chip were all waiting for us at the house. The four of them had already filled Ryan, Rachel, and Momma2 in on what was happening, as much as they knew.

Betty had GJ units out, assisting the Fire and Police departments, the police in advisory only so as not to violate 'Posse Comitatus.'

I got another round of kisses from Sarah and Alex, and a very healthy one from Jennifer, much to Alex's jealous chagrin. Jennifer explained it simply: "Well, A, I'm just getting caught up with you, even though you've been indulging in your 'het' kisses," and she leaned over and kissed Alex on the cheek. Whatever she whispered to her, I don't know, but I'd not seen Alex that red, ever.

"Wade," I whispered, "what's 'het?'"

Wade smiled at me and whispered back "heterosexual."

"Got it; thanks, Wade," I learned something new every day.

While Ryan was feeding all of us, Rachel and Ron re-arranged the great room and put out sleeping bags for everyone without a bed at the house. Wade asked for, and got permission to have, a sleeping bag in there, as well: he asked both Momma2 and MTB, and they both gave their permission.

Momma2 handed me her cell:

"Sweet Tea?" Daddy sounded like I felt.

"Daddy?" I broke down again when I heard his voice, and he did, too; he'd been up all night, waiting to hear from me, and I felt guilty. We both had a good cry, and he gave me permission to sleep with the group.

I don't remember going to bed or even going to sleep, but I woke up in one sleeping bag and Wade in another, and we were holding hands now. I think I remember holding hands when I lay down, but I'm not certain. If we weren't, Wade must have taken my hand after I'd gone to sleep, and we were like that all night.

He looked so calm this morning; I guess it was being smoke-free that did it. I glanced over and choked back laughs:

Every pair slept the same way we did: holding hands, and in separate sleeping bags: Alex and Jennifer, Chip and Sarah, Ron and Kim.

Slipping my hand out of Wade's, I got up and snuck into Wade's room.

The first thing I saw when I opened the door was the melted screen on the charred WadeBot, sitting in the middle of the floor, where Ron had placed him.

I couldn't help it: I started crying and fell to the floor to hug the terminated hero.

"Thank you, WadeBot, for saving my Wade," and I kissed his charred monitor top and hugged him for awhile.

I finally stood and turned on one of the monitors to see what had happened and how bad things were:

Two dead, 10 houses suffered fire damage, destroyed, the Middleton Paris Hotel was closed for the foreseeable future ('Gee, I wonder why?' I thought), and five restaurants were damaged from open-flame grills that had gotten out of control and not been doused by their fire suppression systems.

I moaned: The Teen Settlement was one of the restaurants damaged, with extensive smoke damage.

Three more arrests, later that night, and an investigation was underway and changes planned to prevent the water system from being attacked again.

"We were lucky," and I heard a splash behind me.

"Lucky! You made it: good," I went over and fed him and his 'friend' that Wade had acquired last year.

"So: what's the sitch?" my favorite voice asked, and I turned-

And was greeted by a morning kiss.

I could get used to this, every morning, forever.

"I'm sorry, Joss," Wade told me when we broke for air.

"Apology accepted, Wade, but remember, guy:

"You **ever** try that stunt again, Wade Agamemnon Load, and I'll kill you, myself," I grinned and kissed his nose.

"Just as long as you promise not to ever die on me, Andrea Jocelyn Possible," he smiled back and kissed my nose.

"Jeez, get a room, you two," Sarah came in, smiling even more, I supposed, because of the Chip on her hip.

"You two are worse than us," Alex came in: hooked, of course, to Jen.

"Wow, look at all this," Jennifer whispered.

"I'll bet you never expected to end up in your professor's bedroom, did you, Jennifer?"

Wade was **so** bad.

-----

I never knew that there was so much paperwork after an incident; in this case, the incident was referenced as 'The Sleepytime Engagement.'

Both Momma2 and Kim made Wade and I write separate after-action reports, and then they both grilled us over every action, us separately and together by the two of them, for over four hours.

"This is what you'd better get ready to do, if you are planning to do this on a regular basis," Kim told us as we wrapped up our joint review. "Law enforcement agencies at all levels will want to debrief you after your involvement, if for no reason but that you aren't theirs."

"You can't lose your cool, like Will Du used to do," Momma2, in her 'Elizabeth Director' persona, added. "You've got to maintain your composure; especially you, Joss, because lots of the 'good ol' boys' will think nothing of trying to run over Kim's cousin, because she has already made them look foolish, at least once."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"Yes, ma'am," Wade replied.

Kim and Betty both stood, and we followed their lead.

"We covered the flaws in your actions, and you understand how to correct them," Kim stared at Wade with Ron's 'serious face,' "as well as the consequences if you had not had those suits: we'd be attending funerals, not this session. I will **_not_** lose a member of Team Possible," and then she smiled, "and neither would I want to lose a very dear friend, my cousin or her fiancée, let alone either half or all of the leadership of an important organization like _**BlazeIT!**_" and Kim walked around the table and hugged Wade, then me.

"Good collar, you two: I'm proud of you."

The review with the Middleton Police and Fire IA (Internal Affairs) and IAR (Inter-Agency Relations) organizations weren't as easy, but we were ready for them after Kim and Momma2. They ran us through both IA and IAR reviews because they couldn't figure out just how to treat us: we weren't PIs, and we weren't exactly KP or Team Possible, either, since we were there originally to perform search and rescue; at least, that's what the 'official' report said.

-----

One thing that I learned to do, during all of my sitting time, waiting outside of courtrooms and waiting for IA and IR: knitting, of all things.

Rachel knew how to knit, and she had absconded with Sarah's torn sweater: Carlene Best had given it to her.

It seems that Sarah, in a fit of anger and frustration at not being to repair it herself, had flung it in the trash and run back into her room, bawling, and Stephen had recovered it and given it to Carlene, asking, "Momma, can you teach me to knit? I want to fix this for Sarah."

So, Rachel taught me how to carefully remove the damaged areas and re-knit them into the sweater in such a way that Sarah couldn't find the repaired area. Rachel even hand-washed and hand-dyed the sweater carefully to get the original yarn back to its original color, so all of the yarn was exactly the same color.

Rachel called Carlene, and she brought Stephen over. He took one look at the now-repaired sweater and burst into tears as he ran and hugged a very-surprised Rachel. She took his head, tilted it up so he could see, and pointed to me.

He slammed into me and blubbered for what seemed like hours, finally looking up at my face and barely whispering, "Thank you, Joss."

I was in Wade's room (he was at the lab on-campus with some students) when Sarah threw open the door, wearing her sweater.

"I'm so happy I could kiss you!" she ran and hugged me, soaking the shoulder of my blouse with her tears.

"Um, Sarah: no floods allowed in here: Lucky could get out," I whispered, and that stopped the crying and turned it into laughter.

"How can I ever thank you, Joss?"

"Keep an eye on my Wade at school: there are too many 'hotties' out there, all wanting a piece of rich, dark chocolate," and she and I hugged again, and we went out to show Rachel what she had resurrected.

"Deal, GF," she replied, and she told me the history of the sweater and her grandmother's knitting….

-----

Three months later, the Middleton Teen Settlement re-opened.

Most of the down-time was not the repair and cleaning, though: it was the upgrades funded by the anonymous donor to the tune of…well, let's just say that the furniture, kitchen, rest rooms, stage, and sound system are now all state-of-the-art. The space was 50 per cent bigger: the contractor worked night and day to meet his contract and get his bonus for on-time completion. I never did learn who the owners were….

We were all seated at a large group of tables pulled together: Daddy and an obviously-pregnant Momma2 had come with us, as did Ryan and Rachel Load, Aunt Anne and Uncle James (and even Nana and, an even bigger surprise, Steve Barkin!). Ron's folks had to beg off: they had an Actuarial to attend, and Hana had a babysitter.

"Poor babysitter," Kim smirked, and Ron hit her on the shoulder.

Chip and Sarah joined us, as did Alex and Jennifer.

Ron disappeared for a moment, returning wearing his chef's coat and hat, and pushing a rolling cart with two huge trays on it: one on top and another on the lower shelf.

I had to physically hold my mouth closed, but Kim and Wade and Sarah just sat there, smiling: we'd all been here, before….

"Chef Ronald 'as prepared ze meal for tonight, and it is ze extra special for ze extra-special occasion, ladies and gentlemen."

"What is it, Ron?" Alex asked.

"Tonight's main course is _'Le Bout rôti de Moufette au jus."_

Wade smirked, as did Sarah. I played dumb

"Mmmm," Jennifer replied (I knew she spoke French, but she was having fun). "Sounds extra-dee-lish, Ronald. What is it?"

"An old family recipe, Doctors Ps and Ls," and Ron lifted the lid to reveal the extra-large furry black-and-white tail stretched out on the super-sized serving tray.

"Roasted Skunk Butt."

"RON!" Came from Daddy and Uncle James at the same time.

Dead silence, then laughter filled the entire room.

I played my role, complete with a wicked grin on my face.

"Pepe!" I cried out, and Ron looked shocked.

"Ron, you killed Pepe Le Pew!" the laughter started up again when I leaned over the tail and mock-wept.

"You've done in the 'solon of love,'" I continued to even more laughs, and I picked up the skunk tail and began to fan myself with it

"Ah do decla', Ah believe Ahm's havin' the vapo's," I continued to fan, and the laughs exploded when Wade started singing '_Elderly Man River.'_

Ron lifted the lid on the other tray, and everyone laughed (and breathed a sigh of relief) when they found the massive pile of buffalo burgers (not buffalo chips), all Ron-made, and salad.

The laughs finally died, and we all dug in after Ron served us.

It was a typical Ron Stoppable meal: exquisite, and much, much better than the alternative.

The room had an improved sound system that was section-controlled, so we had no music over our tables as we ate and talked.

Chip, Alex, and Jennifer all excused themselves after dinner and headed backstage. We talked for awhile longer, mostly about Hana, Momma2's changes: her new (to a few of them) eye, and her upcoming twins, and Aunt Anne's twins stories, annotated by Kim to laughs from all of us.

"We're baaaaaaaaaaaack!" and the crowd roared as the announcer cut the piped-in music.

"It's been a few months since we've been open after a bad night's sleep," and everyone laughed.

"But, it's 9:30, and you know what that means," the announcer intoned, and the audience cheered.

"It's 'Electronics Night' at the Settlement, and that means that _**The "Upgraded" Motherboards**_ are in the house!" and the crowd yelled as the band kicked off with some hard rock, and segued after three songs into a ballad.

"Here's an original for you 'drinking-age' people," and the laughs kicked off with a hard, fast rock beat, and Chip and Alex and Jennifer, the new bass and guitar and vocal band members, respectively, kicked off "Party Time," along with Chip. It ended with a huge round of applause.

I thought Daddy and Momma2 were going to bust a gut when they heard it, and even Uncle James laughed with Aunt Anne. Ryan and Rachel almost fell out of their chairs; of course, Nana sang along with everybody: she already knew the words.

They did another ballad-style piece, then Chip kicked them into some Tom Lehrer, of all things, and they went through several songs that left the audience in stitches.

After only one Beatles' song, Chip put the mike back on the stand and slipped on a wireless headset.

"We had a major upgrade after one of the band members tried to 'put me to sleep,'" and he introduced Alex and Jennifer to the audience, and they roared their approval.

"We have some special people here tonight, and I was asked by several people, including the Management, to do a special performance of one of their favorite songs, just for the four of them.

"Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible," and Ron and Kim stood to loud applause.

"Dr. Wade Load and Jocelyn Possible," and Wade and I both stood as the applause grew and the audience all stood.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, to the stage, if you please. You know the drill: it's old-school 1960s 'United States BandMaster' dancing tonight, showcasing the couples," and we were all four escorted to the stage.

Ron took Kim's hand, and Wade took mine.

Then, the music started, but it was a different song than before, and I realized that Kim and Ron had snuck off the stage and left Wade and I alone, up here.

We danced, anyway.

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(Chip) _**I've walked in the wrong direction; I've played with the doubt inside my mind **_  
(+Alex and Jennifer, in harmony) _**de de de de de de de de**_  
(Chip) _**I've sunk in my own reflection, I've passed every mountain I could climb**_  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**de de de de de de de de**_

I glanced over Wade's shoulder, and Sarah was up on stage with Chip, holding a microphone, singing to Chip as he sang to and with her.

(Sarah) _**I've dreamt of a calmer ocean, I've swum so much deeper through the blue**__  
__**I've toyed with the darkest notion, But I've never held a man like you,**_  
(+Alex and Jennifer)_**like you**_  
(Sarah and Chip, in harmony)_**I've wished that I could hold someone like you**_

"Did you realize that it's been almost a year since the last time we were up on this stage?" I whispered.

"Hush, Joss," was his reply, and Wade pulled me closer as we continued to dance.

(Chip) _**I've cleaned up one thousand tables**_(the audience laughed), _**I've cleaned up drunk cheerleaders and **_(he paused for a second) _**jocks **_(to even more laughs)  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**d**__**e de de de de de de de**__  
_(Chip) _**I've even done athlete's laundry; I've washed, oh, so many dirty**_(he paused for a second) _**socks **_(more laughter)  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**de de de de de de de de**_

(Sarah) _**I've danced with evening spirits, I've seen every star there is to view;  
I've read every poet's lyrics, But I've never been with a man like you, **_  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**like you**_**  
**(Sarah and Chip, in harmony) _**I've dreamed that I could hold someone like you**_

The keyboard joined in, and Wade took both my hands. He grinned, and I felt my heart beat faster. He spun me out, holding me all the way, then pulled me back in and caught me, and I felt like Ginger Rogers dancing with a gorgeous, bronzed Fred. I'd never felt like this before, and I liked how I felt.

Sarah opened up her vocal chords this time, and she surprised me and most of the crowd:

(Sarah) _**I know all the rules to every game,  
I know when the skies will start to rain  
How come I never knew your name?**_

"All you had to do was ask Kim," I whispered, and Wade chuckled into my ear.

_**And when every dream that I rely **_**  
**_**all turn to sand, and if I die**_

Sarah suddenly got a lot quieter, and she and Chip sang together::

(Sarah and Chip, in harmony) _**Please, won't you be the one to cry (for me).**_

"Yes, I will," we both whispered, and Wade beat me to it:

"Jinx! You owe me."

I backed away from Wade and mimicked the song lyrics, spreading my arms apart as if I were trying to capture the world:

(Sarah) _**One night by a moonlit river, I would give the world to have you there **_  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**de de de de de de de de**__  
_(Chip) _**One song that my soul delivers as an answer to my prayer **_  
(+Alex and Jennifer) _**de de de de de de de de**_

Wade stepped over to me and took me into his arms again, and we danced together, again.

(Chip) _**I'll wait 'til the mountains fall, **_**  
**_**I've stood 'til the skies came tumbling, too**_  
(+Alex and Jennifer and Sarah) _**I will sacrifice and give it all**_

Wade took both of my hands again, and he looked so serious, I could have cried:

(Chip) _**now that I'm holding a woman like you, like you**_

Then Wade took me back into his arms, and he looked directly into my eyes, and Chip sang as if I were the only person in the room:

_**now that I know I love a woman like you, like you, like you **_

Wade kissed me tenderly on the lips as the song ended, and the audience cheered as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you, Andrea Jocelyn Possible."

"I love you, Wade Agamemnon Load."

He pulled back a bit so he could see my face, and he bore those beautiful browns into my eyes.

"Welcome to the future, blue eyes," he smiled:

Brown eyes, smiling back at me.

"No, my Wade," I corrected him.

"Welcome to _**our**_ future," and I hugged him.

I could really get used to this.

-----

Chapter now complete.

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Story now complete.

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**Author's afterward:**

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This will be long, so be forewarned.

As I wrap up this story, I look back, somewhat in shock:

The first chapter of this entire tale was published on September 1st, and I had no expectation of continuing. Then, the two questions came:

Why did Wade remain in his room all the time, and

What happened to Joss Possible's mom?

The results, to date, are over 350,000 words of JadeKimVerse in just over 10 months.

I am partial to the JadeKimVerse, if for no other reason that I can understand what both Wade and Joss are going through (been there, done that, had friends in similar sitches).

Many of you have been with me since the first story, and several more have come on after I began. To both groups of individuals: thank you for coming along with me on this ride.

Then, you honored me with a shared Fannie award for 2006 Best New Writer in KP FanFiction, voted by you, the fans; my body couldn't take the shock, and I ended up out of commission for three weeks after that announcement (note: no, alcohol was not the cause of this hiatus: see my profile for details).

-----

For this tale, I have some special thanks to offer:

A very special set of thanks go out to the following for hanging in with me on this almost eight-month voyage, providing guidance, information, opinions (like they could ever resist doing so), and encouragement during this romp through the lives of our heroes and on the events documented here:

A Markov

AtomicFire

CajunBear73

campy

Chaosengine

Cyrus Majin

dartblade

Desslock3

DuffKilliganFan

Joe Stoppinghem

Kim's #1 fan

King in Yellow

mkusenagi2

Pharaoh Rutin Tutin

Sir Sebastian

Star-Eva01

whitem

Zokolov

Zaratan

These individuals also provided me with a strong support group, especially when I returned from my unscheduled Multiple Sclerosis one-month hiatus during the month of March: I cannot thank you enough for the emails and calls I received while I was out and after I returned. My undying thanks and gratitude goes out to each and every one of you, along with a double-orders of Nacos and Chimeratos, (extra cheese and grande-sized, of course) and super-large Slurpsters.

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Several of you including, but not limited to, _**Star-Eva01, Sir Sebastian, **_and_** Zaratan:**_ I've had many, many discussions with you regarding disparate topics and providing expertise on topics that left me speechless more times than not (their expertise, not the topics). I learned more about Canadian politics than I thought I'd need, but I was wrong: Thanks, Zaratan.

_**CajunBear73, whitem, **_and_** Pharaoh Rutin Tutin**_ for virtual beta'ing me over the past three months as I slammed them with multiple passes at multiple chapters as the story grew like Drakken's reasons for not taking over the world (and Shego's jokes about his reasons…)..

The roasted animal (recycled and modified) referred to in this story, _**BE,S SI: Oops…**_, and _**BE,S TGIB: MY Story**_ is a running joke from one of my favorite writers, _**Rocinante**_, used to honor this wonderful writer. If you have not read the 'Celler' series, I heartily recommend it, even over my own. This writer brings Kim Possible to life for the reader…seriously.

Thank you, once again, _**King in Yellow**_, for truly making me 'almost' speechless with your comments. I am truly humbled by your statements, and I intend to keep that bar at this level or higher for myself.

A very special thank you to new friends: new in that I met them after I began this tale:

_**Sir Sebastian, **_the Finnish Sensation, for his wonderful and humorous reviews as well as off-line discussions; his stories continue to make me believe that he's in line for a Fannie or two this year. Look for more of his stories, coming out soon: you'll enjoy them.

_**Pharaoh Rutin Tutin**_, the Egyptian Eagle-eye, for flying air cover for me for the entire tale/epic, both beta-ing at times and keeping me in line with discussions on everything (including RuGo) as well as getting me kick-started after my unscheduled vacation in March of 2007. Look for more of his stories, coming out soon: you'll enjoy them (just beware the RuGo!).

_**CajunBear73**_, for insightful reviews and off-line discussions that led me to believe that there was much more hiding in Louisiana than Huey Long: that expertise, and his bon-diggity beta skills, are the reasons that I invited him on "_**The Middleton Files**_" journey through _**The Twilight Zone**_. Look for his first stories coming out soon, and get ready for real entertainment and talent.

Thanks, guys: I can only hope I've helped you as much as you have helped me.

-----

And, as I have said already and will continue to shout from the mountaintops:

_**Twila Starla, **_I will forever be in you debt.

The four-way brain switch referenced in this story and delivered in "Oops…"was her idea; I just expanded on it a bit. Your idea has taken hold of my JadeKimVerse and impacts it, even 20-30 years into its future.

As the co-holder of the title of AngstMaster-General, I have appointed Twila as my official 'Oops' muse. Whether she accepts the title or not is up to her; it, however, will always be hers to own.

I cannot thank you enough, Twila, for pushing me to create that tale.

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One of the most important people that I would be seriously remiss if I omitted her from this list is _**Jana S**_: she was the inspiration behind Jocelyn's actions on the road that night (Chapter 8: Late August, event minus 6 weeks….), because she did the same thing for another young man: stayed with him, as one Angel, when another Angel came and took him Home. _**Jana**_, I've told you publicly before, and I'll say it again:

YOU ROCK in FULL DOLBY!

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Those unannounced readers who have read and not reviewed: thanks for stopping by. I hope I've given you some laughs, some tears, and some things to think about.

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For all the Jade fans:

Thanks for your continued support, and PM me if you have any questions about the JadeKimVerse. I respond to all PMs, emails, and reviews.

Thanks again for reading, and please review.

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